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.