The word nama in Indonesian is adopted from the Dutch word naam, which means name. But the word nama (nāma) can also be found in Sanskrit, which means designation or appellative. William Shakespeare once asked, “What is in a name?” Perhaps this was acceptable for Westerners. But what about the meaning of names for Asians? For nearly all ethnic groups in Indonesia, a name holds specific meaning and signifies the social status of the name bearer. The same applies to the Chinese community in Indonesia. Chinese Indonesians still adhere to the name-giving traditions of their Mainland Chinese counterparts. Parents bestow on their children three names: the first signifies the family’s name; the second shows the line of generation the person was born into; and the third is a specific name referring to the child.
There are many ways and patterns that the Chinese in Indonesia changed their names. Some maintained their family name. For instance, Tan was transformed into Tantono, Tandyo, Hartanto, etc. Some translated the meaning of the name in Mandarin into Indonesian. Chinese names hold deep meanings, and according to Chinese beliefs a name could determine the destiny of its owner. A name is one’s pride, and the name psychologically influences its owner, whose behavior and emotions are shaped by the meaning behind the name. On December 27, 1966, a law regarding name-giving was enacted. People of Chinese descent who already held Indonesian citizenship were asked to change their names into Indonesian names. This law on name change was stipulated under the Decision of Ampera Presidium Cabinet No 127/U/Kep—12/1966 on “Peraturan ganti nama bagi warga negara Indonesia jang memakai nama Tjina” (regulation of name change for Indonesians who use Chinese names), signed by the Chairman of the Presidium, Army General Suharto.
The law of name change was a form of discrimination, leading to psychological pressure deliberately created by the regime in power to suppress the freedom of the ethnic Chinese in Indonesia. This psychological pressure in turn created an awareness that the ethnic Chinese are a minority, alien, immigrant, non-indigenous. This psychological pressure caused them to become second class citizens.
The works of art that I create are always based on my research, and for this exhibition I am interested in the “name” issue and all problems behind it. The works are representations honoring the owners’ name. Names that were deleted and changed into new names. Names that grow in social and cultural life. Names that flow in history. Names of people who witnessed the history that was never written. Names that represent people who have been oppressed and discriminated against.

Names are given by parents as a kind of prayer attached to their child, to protect his life so he will be a dignified, respected, and happy human being. In the video NAMA, I imagine names as a form of prayer, recited repeatedly as a litany. I could easily have expressed protest or anger in the video, in which the Chinese names are chanted and then replaced with Indonesian names — but I choose not to. Instead, I present them as a litany of chants without accusing anyone. The chanting of prayers invites us to contemplate, without anger or revenge, the forced act of changing one’s name, which resulted in the Chinese being uprooted from their traditions.