In contrast, much contemporary artwork criticises the Government and erratic economic development.
The tension between the development of contemporary art and the development of ‘official’ art provides an explanation why contemporary artists have been opposed to the search for national identity.
The contemporary artists believed that the so-called nationalists have no right to determine Indonesia’s identity.
In reality, they are a corrupt, dominant elite group.
For these artists, then, it is not nationalism that should be taken as the basis of identifying national identity; it is the social identity of the majority that should be taken into account in seeking Indonesia’s identity.
According to these artists, the majority of the people of Indonesia are the grassroots elements of society.