THREE COLORS, THREE FINGERS: A SEMIOTIC AND INTERTEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF A PROTEST POSTER IN INDONESIA (2026) AND ITS LINEAGE FROM THE HUNGER GAMES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30651/cadj.v2i2.34378Keywords:
Emblem Gesture, Intertextuality, Poster Design, Protest Symbol, Three-finger SaluteAbstract
Protest symbols often travel from one setting to another, and popular culture is one of their sources. This study analyzes a poster used around the #IndonesiaSadar demonstrations of 28 October 2026. The poster joins three vertical color fields, which are green, blue, and red, with three hands that give the three-finger salute. The study combines visual analysis of two images that the author supplied with documentary analysis of eight Indonesian news reports and international reports on the salute in Thailand and Myanmar. The concepts of the emblem gesture, intertextuality, color as a semiotic mode, and anchoring guide the interpretation. The findings show five patterns. The color fields have equal width, and the blue and red are pure screen primaries in the plain version. The poster has a symmetrical triptych layout in which the central hand is about 1.3 times larger than the side hands. The gesture comes from the novel and film The Hunger Games, and it traveled through protests in Thailand and Myanmar before it reached Indonesia. All eight reports named this source. The hashtag, an explanation by a student executive body, and a three-part slogan anchor the meaning locally. The number three recurs in colors, hands, fingers, and slogans. The study offers implications for designers of protest and campaign posters. The findings rest on the images and on news descriptions, and the origin of the images needs confirmation.
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