Indonesian artist Iswanto Hartono was inspired for his installation Colonies by the Tribute from the Colonies panel on the left side of the Golden Coach. He replicated the lines on the panel with steel wire, then coated this with white enamel paint. The lighting casts the image on the wall again in dark shadows. It is a reference to the shadow of colonialism in the Netherlands and Indonesia. Part of the installation is a soundscape, which can be listened to in the audio tour. What can be heard in the audio guide are clips from a church service on one of the Banda Islands in Indonesia. There, VOC Governor-General Jan Pieterszoon Coen (1587–1629) was responsible for the genocide of native islanders in 1621. Through this audio recording, Hartono wants to create a dialogue between past and present.
Iswanto Hartono (Purworejo, Indonesia 1972) was trained as an architect. He works as an artist, writer, and curator, both independently and as part of the art collective ruangrupa. Hartono is keen on delving into histories from his country that seem to be consciously forgotten or hidden away.