People take center stage in Vadin's photos

People take center stage in Vadin's photos

By Aendra H. Medita

JAKARTA (JP): It's proof of talent when a young photographer
can put himself among the people and document their lives in
works that are clever, always natural but in no respects
ordinary.

The lens of Rasdian Avalokiteswara Vadin explores themes often
labeled "human interest", telling stories of the impoverished
area of Gunungkidul in Yogyakarta, the Yogyakarta Palace, the
general election campaign, market life, even the commemoration at
Gadjah Mada University of the one year anniversary of the fall of
Soeharto.

They are not new or innovative subjects, especially the images
of demonstrations in recent years, but Vadin approaches them in
an interesting and novel manner, as shown in his exhibition Wajah
yang Kita Warisi (The Face We Have) at Galeri Lontar in the
Teater Utan Kayu complex at Jl. Utan Kayu 68H (tel. 857-3388) in
Jakarta until July 5.

The 40 photographs produced during 1999 and 2000 are shot from
angles in which the human figure takes precedence over the large
material icons, the usual center of a photograph, which serve as
the background. In works such as Berburu atau diburu (The Hunter
or the Hunted) and Batman di Sekaten, the space is ideally used
to put a person or people at the center of the viewer's gaze,
thereby eliciting the maximum response.

It is as though Vadin waited for a human figure to enter the
frame, putting a face on the impersonal background and breathing
life into a commonplace scene. It is not an easy feat to
accomplish, requiring the patience of the photographer to wait
for the right moment when all the elements come together for the
perfect picture.

With the turmoil of the last few years, there is inevitably a
strong political side to the photographs of this 24-year-old
native of Ngawi, East Java, who studied graphic design in
Yogyakarta and graduated with a degree in photography from the
Indonesian Institute of the Arts in 2000 (he has also been a
photo contributor for Republika and Kedaulatan Rakyat dailies).
For example, many of the works show the demonstrations around
Gadjah Mada University, such as the symbolic "burial" of Soeharto
after his 32-year rule.

One of his most powerful images shows Muhamad Aman Ridlo
during a demonstration at the traffic circle on the campus of
Gadjah Mada University. With the photograph taken from behind,
Ridlo seems bathed in an aura, the heady image compounded by the
tattoos on his body and the Molotov cocktail concealed behind his
back. It says much more than a simple documentation of the by now
common sight of a student about to unleash his anger through
violence.

Perhaps a failing in Vadin's works is the lack of innovative,
catchy titles for the photographs. Many of them are only
distinguished by being given the name of the geographic location
-- Gunungkidul, Tugu Utara Yogya, Wonosobo -- without going
further. It is not a great disappointment, but it detracts from
otherwise powerful works which, by their very nature, give Vadin
the opportunity to create provocative titles which draw the
viewer in and play up the profound human interest of the subject.