Oktagon to hold photofest on RI's development
Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
At a room in Galeri Jurnalistik Antara, Central Jakarta, three Indonesian photo curators, Alex Supartono, Yudhi Soerjoatmodjo and Oscar Motuloh, are busy poring over 22,000 photo negatives of of images that capture Indonesia's crucial moments in 1945 to 1949, when the nation was in the process of establishing itself.
The clock is ticking, for by August they have to finish selecting just dozens from the 22,000 to be displayed in a photo exhibition to mark the 60th year of Indonesian independence.
The pictures, mostly taken by Indonesian Press Photo Service (IPPHOS) founding photographers Alexius Impurung Mendur (1907- 1984) and Frans Soemarto Mendur (1913-1971), depict the diplomatic process as well as the armed struggle.
During the period 1945-1949, the Indonesian people declared independence, but the Dutch government still tried to reclaim the country.
The Mendur brothers, usually called Alex and Frans, documented history in the making by taking pictures mainly of prominent Indonesian figures like Soekarno and Sjahrir in diplomatic and nation-building settings like the first cabinet meeting.
"Back then, IPPHOS had two offices, one in Jakarta, the center of diplomacy, and another in Yogyakarta," head of the photography department at Jakarta Arts Institute and a curator at Oktagon Photo Gallery Firman Ichsan said.
Firman said that IPPHOS managed to salvage all its collection, 250,000 negatives, including the 22,000 from the period 1945 to 1949.
In school history textbooks, almost all Indonesians have seen a number of IPPHOS pictures; Soekarno giving a speech or Soekarno and Hatta proclaiming independence.
"But fewer than 200 pictures of that crucial period are known to the public," Firman added.
The rest are stored at Galeri Jurnalistik Antara in Pasar Baru, Central Jakarta.
To mend the situation, Oktagon is going to display more pictures of the Mendur brothers, along with pictures of noted Dutch photographer Casparus Bernardus Oorthuys, or Cas Oorthuys.
Oorthuys (1908-1975) visited Indonesia after independence.
Amid the skepticism of people in the Netherlands about Indonesia's capability to establish itself as an independent nation, Oorthuys portrayed the optimism at a time of Dutch aggression.
Most of his pictures convey a strong message that despite the poverty and years of oppression, the Indonesian people were strongly optimistic about their future.
One of the pictures portrays a young Indonesian boy, head held high and smiling, carrying a large map of Indonesia, walking while his smiling friends watch.
The picture, which carries a very strong message about the independence spirit and hopes for a bright future, was used on the cover for Oorthuys' picture book titled En staat in wording (A nascent state) about the Indonesian people in the wake of independence.
The book was published in the Netherlands in 1947, when the Dutch parliament was debating whether or not to allow Indonesia its independence.
"The book has about 120 pictures. We will exhibit some of these in the festival," Firman said.
Curator Alex Supartono added that besides Mendur's and Oorthuy's, Oktagon would exhibit new pictures of three young photographers, Timur Angin, Keke Tumbuan and Paul Kadarisman.
The three had been assigned to take pictures about the meaning to them of independence.
"We are hoping to have three young Dutch photographers do the same in their own country and display their work alongside that of the Indonesian photographers," Alex said.
Previously, Firman explained that the aim of the exhibitions was to show aspects of the Indonesia-Netherlands relationship, other than the more familiar one in which Dutch people were viewed simply as colonists.
Firman said that the festival would take place from August through December and would go on tour from Jakarta to Padang, Medan, Bandung, Surabaya and Makasar.
"Other cities that may wish to invite us are welcome, too," he added.