'Senyap', a search for meaning in silence<\/p>\n
Ivy Susanti, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Rows of headstones sit peacefully as cottony clouds rush
\nrestlessly by over a graveyard somewhere on Madura island in
\neastern Java, racing with the sun to finish the day's business
\nbefore darkness descends.<\/p>\n
The peak of Mount Bromo in East Java, trees and hills, and the
\nArq-e-Bam citadel in Iran stand naked against the blue skyscape,
\nproud to serve a celestial function as mediators between the sky
\nand earth.<\/p>\n
Speechless, yet full of meaning, these and other photographs
\nby Kompas photojournalist Arbain Rambey are on display in an
\nexhibition titled Senyap (Silence) at Bentara Budaya Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The photographs in the exhibition date from the mid-1990s up
\nto a recent visit to Iran to cover the aftermath of the
\ndevastating earthquake there.<\/p>\n
Fifty-four photographs, mostly landscapes in color or black
\nand white, make up the exhibition, which is the fourth solo show
\nfor the 42-year-old photojournalist, who has worked at Kompas
\nsince 1990.<\/p>\n
Silence is expressed by centering immobile, dead -- physically
\nand figuratively -- objects (subjects might be more appropriate)
\nin natural space. Yet, a deeper look leads one to associate the
\nsettings as a self in a bodily continuum, or, on a larger scope,
\na microcosm in a macrocosm.<\/p>\n
As human as it sounds, this sort of mental association can be
\ntraced deep to our psyches, our hidden beings.<\/p>\n
Most of the subjects of Arbain's photographs are inanimate
\nobjects, but the photographs make more sense if they are not so
\nsimply interpreted.<\/p>\n
Humans, plants and animals are \"alive\" because they are
\nbreathing. But in a human's search for meaning, anything, be it
\nalive or not, can assist the search, particularly if it is
\nrelated or even attached to past events that re-emerge
\nconsciously or unconsciously during certain moments.<\/p>\n
In this regard, \"death\" or \"dead\" things (headstones, hills,
\nislands, etc.) are \"immortal\"; things or persons that have been
\nlong gone but exist in the mind of the photographer, brought
\nalive in tranquility once again. Now they have frozen by Arbain's
\ncamera.<\/p>\n
It seems immortality inspires Arbain, to the point that the
\nobjects he shoots are not only objects of artistic expression,
\nbut companions on his journey to self.<\/p>\n
The resulting photographs are peaceful, pleasing or
\ndepressing, depending on the eye of the beholder. Yet Arbain has
\nproven that photography can capture the essence of life, using
\nthe techniques and devices available.<\/p>\n
Arbain says photography is his way of telling people his
\nstory. While he shoots news photos for Kompas, this exhibition is
\nnot about photojournalism.<\/p>\n
This is not the first time he has taken \"silence\" as his main
\ntheme. In a solo exhibition in Jakarta last August, he introduced
\nthe \"Voice of Silence\".<\/p>\n
\"All of my photographs have the same tone, all reflecting
\nsilence in many senses.\"<\/p>\n
-- I-Box
\nSenyap by Arbain Rambey, until Jan. 29.
\nBentara Budaya Jakarta
\nJl. Palmerah Selatan 17
\nJakarta 10270
\nTel. (021) 5483008, 5490666, ext. 7910
\nFax. (021) 53699181
\nOpen to the public 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/senyap-a-search-for-meaning-in-silence-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}