Erasmus Huis put on display Domestic Circle<\/p>\n
JP\/19\/DUTCH<\/p>\n
Erasmus Huis puts Domestic Circle on display<\/p>\n
M. Taufiqurrahman
\nThe Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
To meet the growing demand for the works of Dutch
\nphotographers, the Cultural Center in Jakarta, the Erasmus Huis,
\nis currently exhibiting the works of seven lens men who have been
\npromoting a bold new style in their visual art.<\/p>\n
Titled `Domestic Circle', the exhibition displays the works of
\nWijnanda Deroo, Sara Blokland, Astrid Hermes, Phoebe Maas, Marnix
\nGoossens and Elspeth Diederix; representatives of an emerging
\ngeneration of Dutch photographers who have the similar penchant
\nfor focusing on personal environments.<\/p>\n
The most senior members of the new emerging photographers --
\nDeroo, for instance -- shows the magic of abandoned buildings and
\nhomes, by using light and dark planes as well as scarce sunlight
\nto determine the atmosphere of the spaces.<\/p>\n
In one of his works, Blue Masterbedroom, Deroo captures a
\nvacant bedroom, which is either waiting to be occupied by its
\ntenant, or has just been abandoned by its occupant.<\/p>\n
Blinding white sun-rays come through a blinded window, with
\nthe glimmer of its light falling on the rug-covered floor only
\nadding to the sense of abandon.<\/p>\n
In Diningroom, Deroo shoots his object against the light,
\nwhich is somehow subdued by the lamp that has apparently been
\nturned on for days above a dining table.<\/p>\n
The lamp and some tape glued to the floor are reminders that
\neveryone has left the building and that nothing but emptiness
\nremains.<\/p>\n
Another photographer who deserves attention for her
\noutstanding work is Blokland.<\/p>\n
Although it is not immediately evident that Blokland is
\ninformed of a journalistic ethos, her works are experiments with
\nthe way photography and video are witnesses to events.<\/p>\n
In Home, the 36-year-old photographer uses simple objects
\ncommonly found in almost all households; a framed photograph, a
\nstatuette, a pin and clock to show certain people's past
\nhistories.<\/p>\n
It is as if the audience can learn a family history in a blink
\nof an eye.<\/p>\n
Hermes, on the other hand, dwells on the theme of human
\nalienation. She carries the idea that our experiences are formed
\nand bounded by our bodies, but in turn our bodies are controlled
\nby our direct environment.<\/p>\n
In one of her untitled photo, Hermes photographs the back of a
\nwoman sitting on a couch. The color of the woman's dress and the
\nobject on which she is sitting on are the same.<\/p>\n
However, the most heartbreaking attribute about the photo is
\nthe fact that both the dress and the couch have strikingly
\nsimilar features; the dress' zipper and the couch's stitches.<\/p>\n
The woman has in fact become one with the object that is
\nsupposed to aid her. Like Albert Camus' observation of Sisyphus,
\nthe god who is condemned to ceaselessly push a rock to the top of
\na mountain only to watch it roll down again. "It is during that
\nreturn, that pause, that Sisyphus interests me. A face that toils
\nso close to stones is already stone itself!.<\/p>\n
"One must imagine Sisyphus happy," Camus exclaims.<\/p>\n
I-box<\/p>\n
"Domestic Circle: New Dutch Photography" exhibition runs until
\nJune 11 at the Erasmus Huis, Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said, Kav. S-3,
\nKuningan, South Jakarta. Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.,
\nFriday, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., Saturday, 9 a.m. - midday.<\/p>",
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