1994: From tragic accident to magazines' ban
1994: From tragic accident to magazines' ban
By Amir Sidharta
JAKARTA (JP): The photographs shown at Antara Photojournalistic Gallery's Flashback 1994, exhibition don't just remind viewers of what happened in 1994. The photographs, recording a year filled with the struggle toward development and democracy as well as against a number of natural disasters, also stress the importance of humanity.
Curator and photo editor Oscar Motuloh has embraced a "Photography for Humanity" theme. He hopes to present humans not merely as the object of photos, but as a subject playing an active role in the picture. Yudhi, chief curator of the gallery, stresses that the exhibit also tries to emphasize the central role of the photographer "as a human being whose heart beats faster in face of injustice."
The show's 58 photographs were selected from more than 4,000 images taken last year and represent a wide range of subjects. Spot news photographs predominate. Many illustrate the nation's struggle toward democracy. It seems more opinions were voiced last year compared to previous years, whether they were considered acceptable is a different matter.
In March, in response to a fatal accident involving a recklessly driven Metro Mini, crowds ran amok and destroyed several Metro Mini buses. At the Al-Azhar mosque in May, several men eagerly volunteered to help defend Bosnian Moslems.
Photographs are no longer just representations of an event. A photograph can tell more. It can show the duality that exists between governments and the people. One photo shows hundreds of employees from the banned Tempo, DeTik and Editor magazines, in black T-shirts bearing the exclamation "Yes!", peeking through the silhouetted figures of police in the foreground. The dark figures create a barrier between the viewer and victims of injustice. Another image shows a worried woman looking through an opening in a wall in the midst of the debris of Bendungan Hilir's September inferno. Outside the ruins of the room, stand two riot police on patrol. The photograph, part of a series that attempts to reveal the entire incident, does more to evoke questions than to provide factual information. What happened? Why?
The exhibition is not limited to photographs presenting images of prominent figures or important events. The curators also included photographs illustrating the daily life of common people. One portrays the atmosphere in a schoolroom at the State Grade School Sumber Bahagia in Bekasi. The teachers and students, struggling to pursue knowledge, take turns using the one remaining classroom in the decrepit school building.
In addition to the images of daily life, the exhibition includes a photo essay about a driver of the vanishing oplet cabs that used to clog Jakarta's streets. Apparently, there are only six left in the city.
Photo essays, portraying life of "everyday people", are usually compiled between assignments, according to the photographer's own pace and interest. They are therefore a photographer's personal and passionate account of human life as well as of their own perception and sensitivity. In creating photo essays, the photographer must treat human beings as the subject, not the object of his image. The photographer takes on the primary role of creator -- as opposed to the executor of a photo.
The rather slanted view of the exhibition is a diversion from the journalistic principle of objectivity. But what is objectivity anyway? Many Indonesians have come to realize that what has been considered an objective viewpoint is actually the subjective view of the so-called majority.
A good exhibition needs to convey a strong message. This one, supported with a fine selection of passionate images, reminds us of the importance of human life and humanity.
Flashback 1994, at the Antara Photojournalistic Gallery, Jl. Pasar Baru 59, Central Jakarta, has been extended to the end of the month.