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'Lunar Boy': Twin artists try to represent Indonesian queer identities through comic book
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Influences: Many foreign comics inspired Jacinta and Jessica to create a fantasy unlike any other with 'Lunar Boy'. (JP/Courtesy of Jacinta and Jessica Wibowo)
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win artists Jessica and Jacinta Wibowo believe that exploring sexual and gender identities is something Indonesians should freely do, and is what their comic, Lunar Boy, is all about.
The exploration of one's identity other than that assigned at birth is not a widely accepted thing in Indonesia — at least in mainstream media.
The term "queer", according to the Oxford dictionary, is used to describe a sexual or gender identity that is different from traditional ideas about sex and gender.
Today, more Indonesians have spoken out about their sexual identities through various social media platforms and artworks, including these two Jakarta-based artists.
Jessica and Jacinta, or Jes & Cin, are 27-year-old writers, artists and colorists who have been drawing for as long as they can remember. Being identical twins and sharing the same profession, the only thing that sets them apart is one of them likes toast and the other is hooked on potatoes.
"Our parents always had to purchase huge stacks of paper because we drew so much. But it wasn't until we were about 13 years old that we took art more seriously. We took some casual art classes, but the two of us are largely self-taught and inspired mainly by animated movies," they said.
