Images of Bali through the lens of Paul Spies

Images of Bali through the lens of Paul Spies

JAKARTA (JP): When he first set foot on Java in the 1920s,
Paul Spies probably had no idea that he would gain a reputation
for his photographic documentation of the then Dutch East Indies.

Born in 1904 in Rotterdam, Spies, whose works are the subject
of an exhibition at Erasmus Huis, accepted a position in Javasche
Bank in the colony, eventually rising to the position of general
manager. Away from work, Spies indulged in his hobby of
photography, using a 6 x 6 type camera.

During his travels, he produced works of significant artistic
creativity. He often visited Bali and established close ties with
the burgeoning domestic and expatriate artist communities in the
1930s. Like Rudolf Bonnet and his namesake Walter Spies, Paul
Spies fell in love with the pursuit of the perfection of the arts
on the island.

Spies was not interested only in stunning panoramas and
cultural aspects of Balinese life such as the ngaben (cremation)
ceremony, but also in life in the arts community, such as Bonnet
at work in his studio.

His passion for photography led him to visit central Laos in
February 1963. The country was gripped by civil war and Spies and
his translator were captured and killed by members of the Pathet
Lao. His works came into the possession of Bonnet, and were
eventually donated by a relative of the artist to the Royal
Tropical Institute in Amsterdam in 1978. The exhibition at
Erasmus Huis is organized in conjunction with the institute.

Mystic, Artist and Reflections of Light: The Photo
Documentation of Paul Spies, 1930-1978 is at Erasmus Huis, Jl.
H.R. Rasuna Said Kav S.-3, Kuningan, South Jakarta (tel. 525-
2321) until Feb. 24.