Contest: The importance of being different

By Amir Sidharta

JAKARTA (JP): "It's a pity that progress in photography in Indonesia did not feature in Rana Citra 1994 as it did in the previous Rana Citra competitions," the chairman of the team of judges, Wisaksono Noeradi, remarked in a speech prior to the revelation of contest winners.

"It is also a pity that Rana Citra 1994, the exhibition of which coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia, cannot be used to gauge the progress of women in an independent environment," he said on May 26.

The Rana Citra 1994 photo exhibit with the theme "Life of Indonesian Women", which ran from May 27 to June 1, consisted predominantly of images of rural life: picking tea leaves, transporting goods to trade, and finally selling them in the market. But as a whole, the exhibition illustrated the significance of women in the village economy.

Boediardjo, a member of the team of judges, concluded that "human interest is prominent. Village women seems to be in trend."

It seemed that many photographers saw in rural life an exotic potential for spectacle. Therefore, they used the rural landscape as their hunting ground.

Other judges also conveyed their concerns. Muchtar Lubis remarked that the works "stressed the life of the lower strata of the society, as if emancipation had not occurred. Social change should also be reflected".

Ami Priyono saw that "Indonesian women of the present times are very dynamic", but found that "this is not yet apparent" in the photo contest. Astari Rasjid commented that, "Most perceived Indonesian women as old women, who live in hardship, whereas the activities of our women are tremendously varied."

While the judges expressed their opinions in different ways, it was clear that they were disappointed with the photographs submitted by participants.

Niniek L. Kariem addressed the problem directly. She thought that "the participants of the contest feel that the only Indonesian women who are suitable to be the subjects of their photography are those who are old, ugly, and live in hardship. Hence, Indonesian women are portrayed as if they do not face life with optimism, but rather with passivity and apathy".

The trend toward the depiction of village women worked to the disadvantage of some talented photographers, because although their work might have been quite sound artistically, their subject matter was not popular among the contest judges.

However, frankly, none of the works are outstanding. Although many paid a great deal of attention to lighting, most used it conventionally. The use of streaking light entering kitchens or other enclosed spaces, for example, was clearly a photographic clich. Most of the entries appeared to be snapshots taken without much attention to timing and framing.

None seemed to use time exposure, an effective means of portraying movement and dynamism. Even the photograph of a disabled Javelin sportswoman, which won second prize, failed to capture the dynamic thrust of the spear. Nonetheless, it did show the high-spirited determination of the woman clearly.

The comments of another judge, noted photographer Alain Compost, was suggestive of the expectations of the jury.

"In fact, Indonesian women are able to quickly become independent, but among the submitted photographs only a few show this. Now the roles of Indonesian women have expanded into every field of technology and modernized life."

The winning photograph seemed to be chosen because of this need to show progress. The photograph by Rasdi portrayed a woman in the traditional Moslem headdress working on a component of an aircraft at Bandung's IPTN factory. Indeed, the photographer deserves commendation for his insightful choice of depicting the role of women in technological progress. This certainly distinguished his work from the rest of the entries.

However, to be frank, there is nothing technically or artistically special about the photograph. At first glance, it seemed to be taken with a pocket camera and direct flash. The reflection on the woman's fingers indicated this use of flash.

The photographer's explanation that he used more complicated lighting, including two high powered flashes, further diminishes the merit of the depiction. If he had that kind of equipment, he should have been able to create a better image. He could have eliminated disturbing shadows in front of the subject and on her lower jaw and chin. He also could have focused more lighting on the device she was manipulating, enhancing the image. It is hard to say that the winning photograph, despite its distinct subject matter, is the best work of photography in the exhibit.

It is clear that because it was different, Rasdi's photograph was on the cutting edge in the competition.

However, the choice of the jurors should not have been based merely on the selection of subject matter. Artistic and photographic merit should have been considered as well.

The practice of limiting prizes to commendations, without selecting winners due to the lack of outstanding photographs -- common a few years ago -- might have been a wiser decision.

The submissions to the Rana Citra 1994 photo contest are evidence that many photographers still seek out exotic objects in their approach to photography. Hence, the contest failed to provide a comprehensive view of the life of Indonesian women.

However, all of this does serve to remind us that far too many Indonesians, men and women alike, still live in poverty. The fact that people still face such hardship paints an ugly portrait of this nation's harshest reality.