As a former colonized nation, Indonesia has a unique place in the history of photography. A History of Photography in Indonesia: From the Colonial Era to the Digital Age looks at the development of photography from the beginning and traces its uses in Indonesia from its invention to the present day. The Dutch colonial government first brought the medium to the East Indies in the 1840s and immediately recognized its potential in serving the colonial apparatus. As the country grew and changed, so too did the medium. Photography was not only an essential tool of colonialism, but it also became part of the movement for independence, a voice for reformasi, an agent for advocating democracy, and is now available to anyone with a phone. This book gathers essays by leading artists, scholars, and curators from around the world who have worked with photography in Indonesia and have traced the evolution of the medium from its inception to the present day, addressing the impact of photography on colonialism, independence, and democratization.
- Cover
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Chapter 1: The Invention of Photography, the Netherlands, and the Dutch East Indies
- Chapter 2: Journeys Completed and Journeys to Come in Indonesian Photography
- Chapter 3: Portraits of Power: From Aristocracy to Democracy
- Chapter 4: The Dance Photographs of Walter Spies and Claire Holt: A Biographical Study
- Chapter 5: Mid-century European Modernism and the March Towards Independences: Gotthard Schuh, Cas Oorthuys, Niels Douwes Dekker and Henri Cartier-Bresson
- Chapter 6: A Short History of IPPHOS (Indonesian Press Photographic Services)
- Chapter 7: Art Photography in Indonesia: J.M. Arastath Ro'is, Trisno Sumardjo, and Zenith Magazine
- Chapter 8: Journalistic Circus: A Look at Photojournalism in Indonesia and the History of the Antara Gallery of Photojournalism
- Chapter 9: Reflections on Reformasi Photography (from Vantage Point of the 2014 Elections)
- Chapter 10: New Media Culture
- Chapter 11: Development of Photographic Education in Indonesia
- Chapter 12: MES 56: Souvenirs from the Past
- Chapter 13: Hybrid Forms in the Practice of the Ruang MES 56 Photography Collective
- Chapter 14: Outsiders
- Chapter 15: On Silence, Seeking, and Speaking: Meditations on Identity, Photography, and Diaspora Trough Family Albums
- Chapter 16: A City on the Move: Bandung Today
- Chapter 17: Urban Parallax: Jakarta Trough A Street Photographer's Lens
- Afterward: The Earth Beneath My Feet: Identity, Family, and Family Life
- Selected Bibliography
- Contributors
- Index
- A Note on the Publication
- Colophon