Photo exhibition shows the surreal in the every day

By Aendra H. Medita

JAKARTA (JP): Two photographers from Germany and Indonesia display their works, showing different angles that are both inspiring and phenomenal.

The two photographers, Sigrun Janiel and Rama Surya, tend to let their imagination run free in their works while at the same time exposing spaces left untouched by most photographers.

And surprisingly, both have touched the reality of daily lives amid ordinary objects captured in their works.

Photography, just like other reality in art, tends to build independent aesthetic and meaning as shown in the works of the two photographers being displayed at Galeri Milenium in South Jakarta until Sept. 8.

Janiel, a German woman photographer who learned visual communication with Prof. J. Bostrom and Prof. G. Heinemann at a vocational institute where she received her diploma on photo and film design in 1988, started her aesthetic experience with journalistic photos, portraits and experimental works.

The 47-year-old lecturer of photography at the Graphic Design Vocational Institute in Ravensburg, Germany, lives in Germany and sometimes in Jakarta. She sharpened her ability to change phenomena around her life. This included photographing a doll factory in Tangerang, West Java, creating surrealism works of art.

Although Janiel acknowledged it was difficult to photograph the doll factory, in the end she produced complex works, revealing adventure which was far from boring, but more a focused search presented through imaginative, subjective surrealism captured by her camera.

The captured objects build subjective surrealism which eventually raises one's curiosity through the objects, especially the broken dolls spread all over the factory's corners.

Her photos are left untitled, but to create certain images out of the photos, she cited text taken from Wina Erich Fried's poetry. Janiel said that both the photos and text retained their own characters.

"Basically, the photos and text reveal spaces and events that each wants to tell," said Janiel, who has had two solo exhibitions in Jakarta since 1988.

Janiel's other works are subjective, but it makes one feel and realize untouched spaces. The photos are far from simple at a quick glance, since there are certain images and auras behind them.

Janiel's work process might be tiring, but it offers her space for new communication. But it can be said that such works tend to be very European in nature as seen in the works of, among other things, Man Ray, Silke Grosmann and Moholy Nagy.

Janiel's works are different from Rama Surya's. After presenting present phenomena and social reality in the country through his works Yang Kuat Yang Kalah (The Strongest, The Loser) from 1996, the 30-year-old photographer is now trying to open people's eyes to daily realities which have been left untouched by most photographers.

Rama, who learned photography from the Bandung-based Photography and Design Arts Institute (ISFD), does not only present the political euphoria affecting the country, such as capturing campaigning events, but also problems happening in small corners.

Although his presentation is more like a note exposed after being silenced for over 30 years, it seems like Rama wants to express how the present social phenomena dream about prosperity, freedom and democracy.

He reflected an ideal picture of painter Joko Pekik in Joko Pekik Berburu Celeng, (Joko Pekik on Pig Hunting), which showed Pekik creating a painting of a hunted pig after former president Soeharto resigned from his position.

He also captured a street tailor working with a poster of Megawati Soekarnoputri, the presidential candidate of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, and first president Sukarno, Megawati's father, in the background.

Another work features a tattoo artist placing an ad of the National Mandate Party's (PAN) chairman, Amien Rais, having an arm wrestling contest with Soeharto with the slogan, Masih Kuat (Still Powerful), which showed sharp irony.

Rama's works are strong and creative in unveiling small matters. The reality of his works are social realism that open up one's eyes to see social problems of urban people and more.

Rama reads complex reality and his objects make his works talk without a need for further explanation while trying to remind one to seek a figure that will set all Indonesians free.

The exhibition's curator, Hendro Wiyanto, said Janiel and Rama's works represented real interpretation.

"In Janiel's works, one can clearly see symbolical representation, while Rama's works show dynamic social anxiety ...," Hendro said.