A New Generation of Skinheads in Bandung, Indonesia
Shaved heads, sharp clothes, boots and an unmistakable sense of belonging. On the streets of Bandung, Indonesia, a new generation of skinheads is carrying forward a subculture with roots stretching back more than half a century.
For British audiences, the visual references are familiar. The influence of Britain’s skinhead movement of the late 1960s, and its subsequent revival through the 1970s and 1980s, is evident. But what photographer Bikry captures is far more than an imitation of something imported from overseas.
His black-and-white photographs document a living youth culture, shaped by its own surroundings and the people who inhabit it. The images are raw, stylish and intimate, capturing friendships, collective identity and the confidence of a generation defining itself through music, fashion and football.
There’s something particularly striking about the photographs. In an increasingly commercialised football landscape, where supporter culture is often repackaged and marketed, Bikry’s work feels rooted in the underground. The subjects aren’t performing for an audience. They’re simply living the culture.
Football, Music and the Streets of Bandung
Bandung has an established history of football supporter culture, with Persib Bandung at the centre of the city’s football identity. Its terraces have provided a meeting point for different youth movements, fashions and subcultures.
The skinhead scene predates the emergence of the city’s football casuals movement. Across generations, it has maintained a presence through the shared influences of music, dress and the streets.
Bikry’s ongoing series, If the Kids Are United, focuses on the young people continuing that tradition.
Their influences might be international, but their experiences are local. They belong to Bandung, to their friendships and to a culture that has developed its own character.
If the Kids Are United
As Bikry explains, the skinhead scene in Bandung has grown into a new generation.
From the streets to the football terraces, skinheads have been part of the city’s subculture long before the rise of the casuals scene. Recognised by their shaved heads and uncompromising spirit, they have maintained their place within Bandung’s underground culture.
Connected through football, music and fashion, this younger generation is carrying forward the legacy of those who came before them, while keeping the culture alive in its own way.
A Culture of Their Own
There is an unmistakable connection between these photographs and the visual history of British youth culture. The clothing, hairstyles and collective attitude recall the documentary photography of earlier generations.
Yet Bikry’s images have their own identity.
The gritty monochrome, the natural confidence of his subjects and the closeness of the photographs create a sense of being inside the scene rather than looking in from the outside.
And perhaps that’s what makes the series so compelling. It reminds us that the cultural influence of football extends far beyond the stadium, and that subcultures continue to evolve wherever young people find connection through shared interests.
If the Kids Are United is a photographic record of that spirit – a new generation of Indonesian skinheads, preserving a heritage while making it their own.
Photography © Bikry / @bikrypna
Part of Lower Block’s continuing exploration of football culture, photography and youth subcultures around the world.
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