Born in 1949, East Jawa, Indonesia, F X Harsono is one of the original members of the late 1970s avant-garde group Gerakan Seni Rupa Baru (New Art Movement) whose agenda included a socially conscious art. Using symbols, signs, images, text and objects, Harsono employs the language of the mass media and popular culture to provide entry-points for social commentaries on socio-political conditions in Indonesia.In “Representasi Tubuh”, texts highlighting the problem of corruption and rising costs of living is juxtaposed by images of what appears to be ‘dead’ bodies. The struggle of Indonesians to overcome problems plaguing Indonesia is symbolised by the ‘dead’ bodies of Indonesians trying to effect social changes while the ‘abandoned’ slipper symbolized the adversity faced by street protestors.
