THE HAGUE.- Fotomuseum Den Haag opened its doors today for the powerful and deeply personal exhibition, 'Generasi 3.0 - The Stories We Carry,' offering a crucial, new perspective on the Netherlands' colonial history in the former Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia).

This exhibition is not a historical overview; it's an intimate, sometimes painful, family reckoning. Nine photographers and artists, all part of the third generation—born in the Netherlands with roots in the former colony—have used their craft to explore how the past still shapes their present. For them, the colonial era isn't a closed chapter in a history book, but a living echo in their identities and families.

The search for roots begins with tangible clues. For many, this means old family albums. Ilvy Njiokiktjien's journey, for instance, starts with a century-old photograph leading her to a house in The Hague where her Chinese-Indonesian grandfather was sent as a child. Similarly, Caja Boogers paints fragmented images—a hand, a mouth, a hint of a batik pattern—making the elusive nature of inherited memory feel tangible.

Other artists tackle the heavy economic and human costs of colonialism. Yara Jimmink connects the wealth visible in modern Amsterdam to the extreme violence of the 17th-century nutmeg trade on the Banda Islands, while Maarten Tromp explores the devastating legacy of extractivism in Papua, tracing the discovery of an ore deposit by his great-grandfather to the establishment of one of the world's largest gold mines.

The exhibition is a deeply layered conversation. The Koudijzer brothers trace their Javanese-Surinamese roots through the history of contract labor, using photography and spoken word in a moving personal journey. In a separate immersive space, DJ Sekan has curated an auditory experience, where protest music, rock, and funk from the Indonesian diaspora become a form of collective memory and resistance.

"If you realize that some two million Dutch people have roots in the former Dutch East Indies, you understand how necessary it is to offer space for other perspectives on this layered history," said Margriet Schavemaker, director of the Fotomuseum.

By centering the voices and experiences of the third generation, 'Generasi 3.0' invites the public to move past national narratives and engage with the personal impacts of slavery, forced migration, and violence. It's a vital, necessary conversation, and The Hague, with its deep historical ties to the former colony, is the perfect stage.

The exhibition is on view starting today, October 11, and runs through March 22, 2026. A special public program, starting tonight with the Museumnacht, will accompany the show to further deepen the public dialogue.