Independent photographer and writer in Indonesia
My eighth essay, or the second post for this second year, is up on SOKONG! Publish website. Marking two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, I wrote my reflection about what I have been doing since the beginning of the pandemic, from opening my mini library for friends, initiating Serina study group, to writing about photography.
You can read the essay on SOKONG!’s website through this link (in Bahasa Indonesia). ∎
Some snaphots from my visit during Jakarta International Photo Festival (JIPFest) 2021.
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Open call exhibition at Candra Naya building.
Ahallader Kissa, by Pranabesh Das (Bangladesh)
My Studio, People, & Things, by Chris Bunjamin (Indonesia)
White Circle, by Walid Saddam (Bangladesh)
Castle of Innocence, by Joel Jimenez Jara (Costa Rica)
Lodge, by Jack Lewis (England)
Selim Korycki (Poland)
Min Turab, by Roger Grasas (Spain)
Hiro Tanaka (Japan)
Living Under the Volcanoes, by Putu Sayoga (Indonesia)
Soulless City, by Rita Khin (Myanmar)
Ignoscentia, by Sina Niemeyer (Germany)
Tripty Tamang Pakhrin (Nepal)
The Gold We Inherited, by Marco Garro (Peru)
Maria Lax (Finland)
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Invitation exhibition at MULA Kota Tua.
Edial Rusli (Indonesia)
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Other events I attended.
Presentation by Women Photograph Indonesia, featuring Eka Nickmatulhuda, Malahayati, Debby Sucha, and Aziziah Diah Aprilya
Projection night
Talk by exhibiting photographer Putu Sayoga, moderated by festival director Cristian Rahadiansyah
Discussion on writing and critiquing photography, in which I am one of the panelists, moderated by Ahmad ‘Deny’ Salman
Public lecture by Erik Prasetya
Photobook showcase at MULA Kota Tua, featuring books from open call and from Pannafoto library
A portrait I took of Kurniadi Widodo, co-curator of JIPFest 2021, in front of Candra Naya building
Photographer Vembri Waluyas giving a private tour to his exhibition at fringe event organised by PhotoDemos
Presentation by photographers Nyimas Laula and Haviz Maulana, moderated by Yusni Aziz
Public lecture by Yudhi Soerjoatmodjo
JIPFest 2021 closing event, plus announcement of theme for festival’s next edition: REVIVAL
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All photographs by Budi N.D. Dharmawan ∎
I was invited to write a photography column for Kompas Daily‘s website. It is published on 15 October 2021.
For my first post, I wrote about World Photobook Day (which is celebrated on 14 October) and photobooks in Indonesia at a glance. It is in Bahasa Indonesia and you can read it here.
However, I am not fond of how Kompas Daily treated my writing. They changed some details for publication without communication nor confirmation. Some changes are rather minor, but some others hugely diverted my original text and, because of that, it became factually incorrect.
I have tried to contact the person who contacted me, and expressed my discomfort. He only replied with “thank you for your input”. The mistakes are still in the publication; no note of errors nor corrections.
You can read my original, unedited, text here.
UPDATE:
I have been trying to translate the original text into English. Here it is.
World Photobook Day and a glimpse of the Indonesian photobooks
—Budi N.D. DharmawanThe global photographic community celebrates 14 October as World Photobook Day. It commemorates the publishing of the first book illustrated with photographic images, Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions, in 1843 by Anna Atkins, a British photographer and botanist. Although the event took place a long time ago, World Photobook Day is only celebrated relatively recently.
Previously, people recognised William Henry Fox Talbot, the British Father of Photography, as the first person to make a photobook. In fact, his book, titled The Pencil of Nature, was published in 1844. Talbot’s book was more widely known because it was produced commercially, to help market the negative/positive process developed by Talbot in 1839. Atkins’ book was another story, as it was published independently in limited copies.
One can say that independent publishing has been a driving force in the revival of Indonesian photobooks, especially within the last decade. In response to the developing trend at the time, I, with Kurniadi Widodo, held Kumpul Buku Foto Yogyakarta (Yogyakarta Photobook Gathering) since 2013 (unfortunately, we did not do it every year). Borrowing the idea from a similar event we had attended in Jakarta the year before, we brought our photobooks and invited friends to bring their photobooks, so attendees could borrow from each other and browse together.
During Yogyakarta Photobook Gathering 2014, we held a talkshow with photographers who had recently published their photobooks independently. We asked them to share their behind-the-scene process in independent publishing, as well as the works in their photobooks. A number of our peers also held events with more or less a similar format in their cities, such as Surakarta (Solo) and Salatiga.
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Photobook publishing in Indonesia seems to be reborn in the 21st century. It is evident in the increasing number of publications, compared to the previous period. Some books that left a mark from this era include, among others, The Long and Winding Road: East Timor by Eddy Hasby (published by Aliansi Jurnalis Independen, Jakarta, 2001), because up until then there were very few monographic Indonesian photobooks, and Samudra Air Mata edited by Oscar Motuloh (published by Galeri Foto Jurnalistik Antara, or GFJA, Jakarta, 2005). Since its publication, the latter had become a basis for GFJA to routinely publish photobooks every year.
There aren’t many traces of Indonesian photobook publication in the 20th century. Broadly speaking, they also lack diversity. The generic topic for photobooks during the New Order, for instance, was travel and tourism, depicting Indonesian nature, people, and culture as beautiful paradise. That was in line with the government effort in promoting Visit Indonesia Year during that period. This type of photobooks usually mentions “Indonesia” in their main title.
They include, for example, Indonesia: A Revelation in 1974 (published by Direktorat Jenderal Pariwisata, Jakarta, 1975), Indonesië: Volken en Stammen, edited by Joep Büttinghausen (published by Amsterdam Boek, Amsterdam, 1981), Indonesia: Manusia dan Masyarakatnya, a three-year photographic journey by Ian Charles Stewart (published by Pranawajati, Jakarta, 1987), and Indonesia: A Voyage Through the Archipelago anthology, which was a big project involving numerous well known photographers from Indonesia and abroad to photograph the beauty of Indonesia (published by Millet Weldon Owen, Paris, 1990).
One photobook that stands out from the era, because it is very different from the monotony of the rest, is Rama Surya’s collection of photo essays, Yang Kuat Yang Kalah (published by Fotomedia, Jakarta, 1996). The book was critically received, since not many photographers then had worked with the format of the photo essay. The works in the book are brilliant, considering the fact that Rama was still relatively young at the time of publication.
Another significant mark of the 1990s features the publication of the works of colonial photographers who worked in the Dutch East Indies. They include Woodbury & Page: Photographers Java by Steven Wachlin (published by KITLV, Leiden, 1994) and Cephas, Yogyakarta: Photography in the Service of the Sultan by Gerit Knaap, about Indonesia’s first indigenous photographer Kassian Céphas (published by KITLV, Leiden, 1999). [Céphas was also Indonesia’s first photographer whose work was published in books, including In den Kedaton te Jogjåkartå: Oepatjara, Ampilan en Tooneeldansen (published by E.J. Brill, Leiden, 1888) and De garĕbĕg’s te Ngajogyåkartå (published by KITLV, Leiden, 1895), both by Isaäc Groneman.]
The relatively-recent appearance of these photobooks, which feature historical photographs from the colonial era, is preceded by the publication of books that discuss the histories of photography in Indonesia during the Dutch East Indies period. They include Toekang Potret: 100 Jaar fotografie in Nederlands Indië 1839–1939 by Anneke Groeneveld et al. (published by Fragment, Amsterdam, 1989) and Towards Independence: A Century of Indonesia Photographed edited by Jane Levy Reed (published by Friends of Photography, San Francisco, 1991).
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The first decade of the 21st century is also marked by the emergence of premium publishers with special attention to photobooks, such as Red & White Publishing and Afterhours Books. Their books are intended from the beginning to be coffee table books, with lux appearance and stunning graphic design. Oscar Motuloh’s monograph Soulscape Road (published by Red & White Publishing, Jakarta, 2009) is one example. One can say that their books have become the new benchmark for great books, at least in appearance.
In the second decade of the 21st century, the book publishing scene, especially in relation to the photobooks, shifted. With the ease of digital printing (files can be directly printed without the need to make printing plates), people can now print in smaller quantities to save cost. This, in turn, paved the way for independent publishing. People are no longer dependent to big mainstream publishers.
One of the early practitioners of independent photobook publishing in Indonesia is photojournalist Boy T. Harjanto. He has been publishing his own books since 2011, including Merapi 120 fps (2011), Merapi Volcano (2012), Erupsi Merapi (2013), Mt. Merapi (2014), Kelud (2014), Java Volcano Eruption (2015), Buku Jogja (2016), and Fotografi Ruang Publik (2016).
Unlike most photobooks, Boy’s books were marketed mainly as a sort of memorabilia. They have been reprinted numerous times and have sold more than 25,000 copies. This is far beyond the sales number of big publishers. I heard that during his visit to Jakarta a few years back, renowned photographer and photobook collector Martin Parr actively sought after the first edition of Boy’s complete series of publications to be added to his collection.
At first, independent photobook publishing developed rapidly, even though it has also become stagnant recently. A number of photobook practitioners took the chance by forming small scale independent publishing houses, such as Gueari Galeri in Jakarta and SOKONG! Publish in Yogyakarta. The development of independent publishing brought about a greater diversification in terms of format, material, printing, and the kinds of books being produced, ranging from office to offset papers, digital printing to photocopy, documentary style personal projects to personal narratives.
Independently published photobooks are more daring in forgoing an appearance of luxury—not necessarily due to a limited budget, but more of a conscious attempt to be coherent with the issue that is raised in the work. For instance, Dewi Pantura by Arum Tresnaningtyas Dayuputri (published by Radar Cirebon, Cirebon, 2013) takes the form of a tabloid while Tanah yang Hilang by Mamuk Ismuntoro (published by PannaFoto Institute, Jakarta, 2014) is a loose leaf book packaged in a folder and an envelope to mimic the land ownership certificate.
Independent publishing is more flexible and thus more open towards exploration and experimentation. One collective that is formed with that spirit is Flock Project, a collaboration between Kurniadi Widodo, Aji Susanto Anom, and Arif Furqan. Their debut publication, Flock Volume 01 (independently published, Yogyakarta, 2016) has been widely circulated, even to numerous photography spaces outside the country. In Indonesia, Flock Project represents a new energy in collective independent publishing.
Meanwhile, the photographic community has also begun to highlight important figures in the history of Indonesian photography through the publication of their works. These photobooks include Julian Sihombing: Remastered, edited by Oscar Motuloh (published by GFJA, Jakarta, 2013), IPPHOS: Remastered edited by Yudhi Soerjoatmodjo (published by GFJA, Jakarta, 2013), and Bandung 1955: Moments of Asian African Conference, from the archive of photographer Paul Tedjasurja (published by Air Foto Network, Bandung, 2015). There are plans to publish the works and stories of other Indonesian photographers in the photobook form, but I have not heard about the actual publication yet.
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After a break of three years, I held the Yogyakarta Photobook Gathering again in 2018. The event took place in mid-October to coincide with the 175th World Photobook Day celebration. At that time, I tried to continue the conversation about independent publishing by holding a series of talkshows that touched on other aspects of photobook publishing, including writing and narrating, graphic design and production, marketing and selling.
Many photographers think that their work is done once the book is printed, which is not the case. Independent publishing also means independent marketing. Meanwhile, what we call the “market” is still unclear, as photobook buyers are yet to be mapped, especially those who are not photographers themselves. Photographers often buy photobooks because they are friends with the authors, thus the circulation of the books is often limited to their own circles.
On the other hand, there are few photographers who work on longer projects that can be turned into a photobook. I feel that things like researching and understanding a theme, developing long-term projects, as well as editing and sequencing the photos into books, are still in need of further exploration. Friends who are photobook practitioners, especially independent publishers, have done numerous workshops to address these issues.
Until recently, I still organise the Yogyakarta Photobook Gathering, but in reduced scale. As with other events that cannot be held in-person due to the pandemic, the gathering has also been moved online. Virtual platforms can greatly reduce distances, so we can meet face to face through the screens of our gadgets. Nevertheless, the most interesting aspect about photobooks is actually their materiality as an object, which is much more enjoyable when touched, and not only looked at.
Yogyakarta, September 2021
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To celebrate the 178th World Photobook Day, I am organising photobook gathering event again—but without an actual gathering due to Covid-19 pandemic. The event is held virtually on Saturday and Sunday, 16 and 17 October 2021. Provoked by Ibu Kurnia and Bapak Pras, I chose the theme archive for the event. Of course, I asked them, in return, to help me organising the event.
Aside from that, there is no spesific reason as to why I chose archive as the theme. I just hoped to start a conversation about archive and photobooks, also about how archive works as material for photobooks. I invited some friends from different backgrounds to review photobooks that use archive (in its broad sense) as material.
Ibu Kurnia and Bapak Pras also suggested to make video previews for the photobooks that are being discussed. If you would like to check them out, please visit our YouTube channel through this link.
The event, conducted in Bahasa Indonesia, is hosted on Zoom, also open and free to attend (no registration required). It will be recorded and hopefully will be available in the not-so-far future on YouTube (same link as above). ∎
Agus Leonardus, a senior photographer in Yogyakarta just turned 64 late last year. To celebrate his birthday, a special number in Javanese tradition (64=8×8; 6+4=10), Agus Leonardus published a photobook titled When I’m 64, after the song by the Beatles. The concept of the book is rather unique. Leonardus had handed some 200 photos to eight people, from which each person was to select eight photos (64 photos in total) and then write about their selection.
The writers, chosen by Leonardus, are Arbain Rambey (retired Kompas Daily photojournalist), Bernie Muljawati Liem (senior figure among Chinese Indonesian community in Yogyakarta), Eddy Hasby (former photojournalist, currently video journalist for Kompas Daily), dr. Oei Hong Djien (senior art patron and collector), Oscar Motuloh (former director of the Indonesian news agency Antara photo bureau, curator of Galeri Foto Jurnalistik Antara), Dr. Seno Gumira Ajidarma, S.Sn., M.Hum. (prolific writer, Rector of Institut Kesenian Jakarta), Dr. G.P. Sindhunata, S.J. (novelist, editor of cultural magazine Basis in Yogyakarta), and Dr. Suwarno Wisetrotomo, S.Sn., M.Hum. (curator, also lecturer at Institut Seni Indonesia Yogyakarta).
To launch the book, Agus Leonardus held an exhibition and, afterwards, a discussion with the writers, along with Prof. Soeprapto Soedjono, M.A., Ph.D. (former Rector of Institut Seni Indonesia Yogyakarta) as the discussant, for which I was the moderator. The discussion took place last night at Bentara Budaya Yogyakarta, where the book was launched last Tuesday. Not many people came but I personally found the talk very interesting. Plenty of keywords were mentioned, commented, and discussed, also hopefully could spark further discussion from other parties.
I tried to take a photo during the session with my phone camera, but it came out blurry. Yogyakarta, 20 February 2020. Photo by Budi N.D. Dharmawan.
My copy of the book When I’m 64 by Agus Leonardus, signed by the photographer and seven of the eight writers. Yogyakarta, 21 February 2020. Photo by Budi N.D. Dharmawan.
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Budi N.D. Dharmawan 