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.