Antara photo gallery aims for the sky

Antara photo gallery aims for the sky

Yusuf Susilo Hartono, Contributor, Jakarta

On Dec. 27, 2002, the Antara Journalistic Photo Gallery (GFJA)
celebrated its 10th anniversary with a modest ceremony. Jakarta-
based photo journalists got together in the old building that now
houses the gallery.

Just like any other building of over 50 years of age, the
gallery, put up in Dutch colonial times, is a protected
historical building. It stands gracefully on the banks of the
Ciliwung river at Jl. Antara No. 59, Pasar Baru, Central Jakarta.
It is flanked by two other historical buildings -- No. 57 and No.
59 -- which are also protected and have been used by the Antara
news agency since 1954.

That night it was Oscar Motuloh who was the happiest man in
attendance. Born in Surabaya on Aug. 17, 1959, Motuloh, easily
recognizable with his long hair and habitual black T-shirt, vest
and jeans, pioneered the establishment of the GFJA and has helped
develop the gallery.

Between 1992 and 1998, Yudi Soerjoatmodjo was curator of the
gallery. It was Motuloh, however, who suggested to Handjojo
Nitimihardjo, then Antara general manager, that Soerjoatmodjo be
made GFJA curator.

Even when Soerjoatmodjo was curator of the GFJA, Motuloh, then
serving as Antara's photo editor, never stopped providing ideas
about how to develop the gallery. In 1998, Soerjoatmodjo resigned
because of a difference of principle with Antara's general
manager, Parni Hadi. It was then that Motuloh was named curator
of the GFJA in place of Soerjoatmodjo.

According to company rules, the GFJA curator also serves as
the head of the gallery and the museum (located in the same two-
story building). He has authority over the entire gallery/museum
management, its human resources, its financial affairs and its
programs. He is also accountable directly to Antara's general
manager, a post now occupied by Mohamad Sobary.

During the 10 years of its existence, the GFJA, which is a
non-profit undertaking and is managed to international standards,
has organized 76 photo exhibitions -- 10 percent of which
featured the work of overseas photographers in collaboration with
foreign cultural centers based in Indonesia.

Some of the photographers who have been featured are Silke
Grossman of Germany; Nico Dharmajungen of Indonesia (a German
graduate), Antara photographers, Eddy Hasby (Kompas daily), Ray
Bachtiar, Rama Surya, Seno Gumira Ajidarma (a student of
Muhammadiyah University in Malang), and Republika daily
photographer Sonny Soemarsono.

Most of the local photographers exhibiting their work in the
GFJA live in Jakarta.

"Inviting our colleagues from the regions is still only a
dream although I know full well that they have great potential. I
would be very happy to see our colleagues from Surabaya, Medan
and other cities exhibit their work at the GFJA," said Motuloh.

It seems to be the standing rule in the GFJA that 40 percent
of the eight to 10 photo exhibitions annually must be devoted to
young or campus photographers to ensure that a new crop of photo
journalists will emerge. Those regularly exhibiting their works
include students from the Jakarta Arts Institute and the
Indonesian Arts Institute (ISI) of Yogyakarta. Students from
Trisakti University in Jakarta have also exhibited their work
there, albeit not regularly.

Antara and other sponsors usually offer Rp 8 million in
assistance for every photo exhibition held at the GFJA. Besides,
the gallery prepares catalogs and posters.

"Every time we hold an exhibition, we sell the catalogs and
the posters. I want to instill the habit of buying posters and
catalogs and collecting them into the young, who account for the
majority of our community. Before they can afford to buy original
photographs worth millions of rupiah, they must get accustomed to
buying posters at Rp 10,000 each," Motuloh said.

He said collecting photographs, unlike collecting paintings,
had yet to become popular in Indonesia. He was not sure why this
should be the case. He admitted, though, that collecting
photographs had yet to become a joint agenda among photographers
themselves. So, for most photographers, exhibiting their works at
the GFJA was purely a means of expression.

"Generally, they are still reluctant to set prices for their
work. They care little about money. Perhaps, they earn enough to
feed themselves from the media companies they work for," Motuloh
explained.

The GFJA is a favorite place for photographers to get
together. It is in this building that the Indonesian Photo
Journalists Association (PFI) was established. Now this
organization boast some 200 members, among them graduates of
Antara photo journalism courses.

Motuloh, who teaches photo journalism at the School of Film
and Television, the Jakarta Arts Institute (IKJ) and at the
Antara Educational and Journalistic Institute, said that although
the GFJA had the name of being a journalistic gallery, not all
the photographs exhibited were from the news category.

"We also exhibit documentary photographs. What matters is that
these photographs must reflect a life value, for example, the
photographs with a fine art tendency by Seno Gumira Ajidarma or
Roy Genggam," said Motuloh.

Given that photo galleries in Indonesia are still small in
number, the GFJA is unique in that it is the only gallery for
photo journalism. The reason for this is that its establishment
was intended to ensure that photography would continue to be a
medium that was reasonably easy to understand and would encourage
better comprehension through the presentation, conservation and
discussion of photographic works.

The GFJA, which has an annual budget of Rp 75 million, has set
up a community photographic society with some 1,200 members
today. It organizes discussions and workshops on photography.
Besides, it publishes periodicals and encourages joint ventures
with sponsors.

"Our long-term target is to make the GFJA a center of
photography in Indonesia with adequate integral elements to serve
its functions well in both the domestic and foreign
communications communities," said Motuloh.

As part of the efforts to modernize itself, the GFJA is
shortly to be provided with, among other things, a library and a
bookshop.