Alen Alhamdaputra
Alen Alhamdaputra is a Bay Area artist.
"This project aims to monumentalize one of the most marginalized community in Indonesia—The LGBTQ+ community—by creating traditional Indonesian shadow puppets (wayang kulit) that doesn’t render any shadow, therefore stripping it from its traditional usage. Instead, the plexiglass objects bounce off lights and create a reflection, making it an inverted shadow puppet. The marriage between the traditional form and the title is an attempt to radically bring indonesian LGBTQ+ community into the spotlight, highlighting the intersectionality of Indonesian queers, and forcing others to recognize our existence. The word “bencong” (faggot) is chosen in an attempt to reclaim our narratives as outcasts and redefine our existence; it is a proclamation to announce that we are here, we are queer, and we deserve a seat at the table."-Alen
