Alfin Agnuba

This work refers to a dark episode in Indonesia’s history known as the Penembakan Misterius (Mysterious Shootings). From 1983-85 thousands of Indonesian people were murdered, mostly men, and mostly in the middle of the night. The authorities reported the victims were all Preman (gangsters) as if this somehow justified their murders, although many were just young men with long hair and tattoos. In this image, Alfin documents the places in Yogyakarta where some of the bodies were dumped in the middle of the night, particularly at two busy bus terminals. When commuters arrived in the mornings they were confronted by a shocking and gruesome message. The perpetrators were never caught nor brought to justice, although it is widely understood they were the Indonesian military, acting on the orders of President Soeharto.

Born in 1990, Alfin Agnuba is a visual artist from Yogyakarta. His work often concerns lost or erased histories of Indonesia, from both political and personal perspectives. Printmaking is a key focus of his practice. Alfin is an active member of the intaglio studio Grafis Minggiran, and the screenprinting studio Krack!, both in Yogyakarta. He is on the organising committee of Pekan Seni Grafis, a biannual print festival in Yogyakarta. His recent solo exhibitions include Dalam Tiga Babak, Kedai Kebun Forum (2018), and Cita Rasa’75, Lir Space (2014), both Yogyakarta. Group exhibitions include Love Song, Homearttrans, Malaysia (2020) and Indonesia Calling 2020, 16albermarle Project Space (2020). He has undertaken residencies at Rumah Buday Tembi and in the Indonesia/Malaysia Nafas residency.