Maharani Mancanagara, born in Padang, West Sumatra in 1990, is an Indonesian artist who lives and works in Bandung. She graduated from Institut Teknologi Bandung, Faculty of Art and Design, in 2013, majoring in Printmaking Studio. She works primarily in the mediums of printmaking, mixed media and drawing.

Maharani has participated in a number of group exhibitions presenting emerging Indonesian artists. In 2013 she received the Soemardja Award #3 from Soemardja Gallery, and was nominated for Indonesia Art Award 2013 and 2015. In 2014, she was nominated for the Young Artist Award from Art Show Busan, South Korea. In 2015, she was nominated for Bandung Contemporary Art Award #4.

Her works explore Indonesia’s history from ancient times to the present, based on her personal and family experiences. Drawing on her personal background, Maharani developed her interest in visualising the long history of education in Indonesia – partly derived from artefacts and documents she found in her late grandfather’s possessions. Her grandfather was imprisoned on Baru Island from 1965 - 1978 as part of the government’s crackdown on left-wing political groups and sympathisers. Based on this perspective, Maharani aims to express these objects and events in works of art, identifying herself with them - which she hopes could provide recognition for a larger sphere of people with similar experiences.

More than 50 years of euthanasia is not a short period of time for victims and their families to inhale and endure the sufferings caused by the crimes against humanity and the 1965/66 genocide in Indonesia. An unfinished business does not mean it should be forgotten. The violations in human rights that happened in Indonesia during 1965-1979 have been taken to the court of the International People’s Tribunal (2015) in The Hague. The findings regarding the victims, perpetrators and witnesses have also been presented, resulting in several appeals that should have been carried out by the government. However, several years have passed now and one would wonder if it was only to get our hopes up?

(Amicus curiae is a term commonly used in trials which means ‘friends of the court’, referring to those who have an interest in a case and present their legal opinion to the court.)