Mak Remissa, A red ant carries a fish scale on a tree leaf at Barkou village, Kandal province (detail , from

When the Water rises, the Fish eats the Ant; When the
Water recedes, the Ant eats the Fish) , 2005. All photographs: Courtesy of the respective photographers and Noorderficht Photofestival Another Asia unless otherwise noted.
48 ASIAN ART NEWS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2007
T
he Dutch photofestival, No01'derli-
cht, turned its spotlight on Asia
that featured photography from
South and Southeast Asia under
the title Another Asia. Since
Noordedicht began in 1990, it has become
one of the most progressive festivals of
photography in the world. In alternate
years its focus has been on non-Western
artists. This has included emerging and es-
tablished photographers from Africa, Latin
America, and the Middle East. Another Asia
offered a sketch of the region through the
work of local and Western photographers,
and historic images of South and Southeast
Asia. Sixty-four photographers from 21
countries were featured in Another Asia,
which ended on October 29, 2006.
The biggest curatorial challenge
for 2006 was finding work to represent
the region comprehensively. While there
was usually some form of groundwork
available for curator Wim Melis when he
had organized other non-Western editions,
this time he almost had to sta1t his research
for Another Asia from scratch. Thankfully,
for some countries featured, Melis had the
luxmy of the knowledge of well-known
photographers such as Shahidul Alam
and Raghu Rai, who have
had close-up views of the
development of photography
in their respective countries,
Bangladesh and India.
Amongst the points
that he raises in his essay for
Noorderlicht, the Magnum
photographer Raghu Rai ar-
gues that a newspaper with-
out good images is "a faceless
entity. " "Though the number
of pages in newspapers has
grown in the past forty years,
the space for photographers
is shrinking, " Rai writes in ref-
erence to the situation in In-
dia. "The design, the look of
the pages, is paramount, but
pictures of half-nude models
or film stars have replaced
serious photographic docu-
mentation of social causes
and concerns. "
Young curators such
as Alex Su partono, from
Indonesia, and Sue Hajdu ,
from Hungary, have also
provided Melis with valuable
insights on the state of pho-
tography in Indonesia and
the countries bordering the
Mekong respectively. In her
essay for Noorderlicht, Hajdu
sketches the development of
Vietnam's photographic cul-
ture through two terms found
Tri Huu Luu, Sri Lanka (from untitled series on Buddhism of South Asia), 1996- 2006.
"which is perhaps the closest equivalent associations." Other than the essay, she
to 'photography' but is artistic, intellectual, also presented two sets of work, To Chou
and somewhat literary in its connotations, " Choufrom Texas (2000) and Miss Peacock
and chup hinh, which refers to "practices (2001), in the historical section of Another
such as studio portraiture or amateur snaps Asia. The two installations were made
and rarely escapes its amateur or artisan from images she had collected from junk
shops in Saigon. "Saigon rHo
Chi Minh City] is unique in
the Mekong region for having
a little street that trades thou-
sands of images from personal
albums each year, in a process
that turns personal mem01y
into cultural memory, " writes
Hajdu. "These examples of
chup hinh photography are
purchasable in Saigon pre-
cisely because of the social
dislocation caused by war and
emigration, with many families
having to leave their photo
albums behind. "
The situation in
Cambodia is much bleaker.
"Cambodia's ' photographic
blank' continued through the
1980s-people were simply
too poor and desperate with
daily survival to consider tak-
ing pictures, even at important
occasions such as weddings
and funerals," Hajdu writes.
"It is no surprise then, that the
Audio-Visual Resource Center
planned to open in late 2006,
in Phnom Penh, which will
gather Cambodia's photo-
graphic history from around
the world, is being greeted
with enthusiasm."
in Vietnamese, nhiep anh, Tri Huu Luu, Vietnam (from untitled series on Buddhism of South Asia), 1996-2006.
For the discerning
viewer, Hajdu's article pro-
vides the perfect introduction
to the Vietnamese, Cambo-
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2007 ASIAN ART NEWS 49
Bui Huu Phuoc, In the Dorm (from Departure) , 2005, gelatin-silver print.
Vandy Rattana, Untitled (from Self-Portraits), 2005-2006.
Zann Huizhen Huang, Sney, 14, a homeless orphan sniffs glue with his buddy in a secluded
alley in Siem Reap, Cambodia (from Cambodian Glue Kids) , 2005.
50 ASIAN ART NEWS
dian, and Laotian photographers featured
in Another Asia. Often, their approach is
unpretentious and fresh, which is inevitable
since whatever aesthetic traditions they had
before the Vietnam War or Pol Pot's rule have
to be reconstructed by contemporary artists.
Photography seems particularly well-suited
to this end.
T
he works of Tri Huu Luu and Bui
Huu Phuoc, two Vietnamese photog-
raphers, are both steeped in realism,
but their motivations are entirely
different. Tri Huu Luu's series on
Buddhism in South Asia 0996-2006) has to
be viewed within the context of his search
for identity within American society, where he
eventually went as a refugee in 1989 to escape
conscription for the war between Vietnam
and Cambodia. Initially, he threw himself into
American culture to hide from the things he
didn't want to face.
"After the War, my father, who had
worked for the US government, was sent to a
concentration camp and after he was released,
was forced to move to the countryside," recalls
Luu, who did his undergraduate and post-
graduate studies in photography in America.
Life was harsh during the post-war years. Luu's
family would give everything just to have rice
and a piece of yam for a meal. "Many people
in South Vietnam inevitably saw America like
a dreamland where everything was perfect, "
he says. "But, when I went to the States, it
was considered unpopular and shameful to
be Vietnamese. "
Only when he took a religion course
in college did Luu understand better the faith
of his mother and became more assured of his
identity. Seven years after his mother's death,
he returned to Vietnam and journeyed across
Asia to learn about Buddhism. Through the
images that he shot in monasteries, Luu is not
trying to achieve a specific goal or convey a
certain message. "It is more about my learning
experience in the Buddhist temples in Asia
and how these encounters can be shared with
others through photography," says Luu, who is
based in New York. In a way, Luu's focus on
the manifestations of spirituality in the physical
world is a tribute to his mother who worked
as a seamstress during the post-war years to
provide for her family.
Bui Huu Phuoc's Departure (2005) is
steeped in a powerful realism. He was born
in Saigon but he didn' t leave for America,
but stayed in Vietnam where he received his
photographic education at the Ho Chi Minh
City Cultural Arts College. Here, Phuoc was
tutored by Bui Xuan Huy, who had studied at
New York's School of Visual Arts. Huy, with
his liberal approach to photography, has been
a source of inspiration to his students.
While Phuoc cites Garry Winogrand,
Nan Goldin, and Diane Arbus as the artists he
loves, it is not immediately apparent how they
have influenced Departure. Although the series
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2007
Above left: Mak Remissa, A red ant carries a dried fish on a string at Preakompeus village; above left: Mak Remissa, Kandal province, A
fish chases a red ant that has dropped from a tree into the water at Preakompeus village, Kandal province, (both from When the Water rises,
the Fish eats the Ant; When the Water recedes, the Ant eats the Fish), 2005.
is photojournalistic in character, it is also
possible to consider the images as stills of a
film narrative. The narrative evolves around
22-year-old Toan, a second-year student at
the Economic University in Ho Chi Minh
City, whom Phuoc chanced upon when
he was there for another project. Toan's
life characterizes the situation in rural Vi et-
nam, where each family can only afford to
send one child to school. Therefore, the
opportunity for a better life sits firmly on
this child's shoulders.
When he first broached the idea,
Toan was naturally uneasy. After spend-
ing time with Toan, his family, and friends,
Phuoc finally got the go-ahead. Most of the
works in Departure were taken in Toan's
dormitoty and at his family's home. "I would
take a seat next to them and talk about their
lives," Phuoc says. "I would also follow them
around to try to capture them in the best
angles. Generally, when you point a camera
at Vietnamese people, they will give you a
smile. " In Vietnam, where the idea of art pho-
tography is relatively new, Phuoc's Departure
has been greeted with mixed response, some
viewers claiming that the work is nothing
more than press photography.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2007
S
imilarly, when Mak Remissa
and Vandy Rattana showed their
projects in Cambodia, the most
supportive reception came from
the expatriate community. "The
level of education in Cambodia is still
low, and without the right education,
Cambodians will not be able to give
critical ideas to what they have seen," says
Vandy Rattana. "We don't even have ten
Cambodian photographers who understand
art photography. The rest are more
interested in photojournalism, which they
can do for a living. They are not wrong. "
Rattana's first encounter with pho-
tography was through a picture book of
Russia that he found in his home. When
he was growing up in the 1980s, his family
didn't own a television, so the book was
one of the few sources of imagery that Rat-
tana, 26, had. When he was 24, Rattana's
university teacher gave him his first camera,
a Yashica FX7 with a 50mm lens, which he
still uses today. For a young photographer,
Vandy Rattana's Self-Portraits (2005-2006)
is surprisingly accomplished. The self-por-
traits are done in a "non-traditional way"
because the photographer is always absent.
His obsession in recording the mundane
reality of his surroundings-family at home,
colleagues in his office, and so on- has
arisen from his desire to counterbalance
the cliched view of Cambodia as a land of
monks and beggars. More important, he
aims to preserve memory through his work.
"Memory is important in Cambodia because
we have lost most of our past records and
photographs due to war and genocide, "
says Rattana. "We have few photographs
of how our parents and grandparents lived.
Our past identity is confusing, which leaves
our current identity in flux."
Although his approach is more
metaphorical, Mak Remissa's When the
Water rises, the Fish eats the Ant; When the
Water recedes, the Ant eats the Fish (2005)
is also reflective of the current situation in
Cambodia. The title of the project is an an-
cient Khmer proverb that is still widely used
today. Ants and fish dominate each other
depending on the physical environment
they are in, but neither species will emerge
as the winner in the long run and the equi-
librium of nature will be maintained. Using
this as a starting point, Remissa returned
to the suburbs of Phnom Penh, where he
ASIAN ART NEWS 51
Sherman Ong, Untitled (from Monsoon- The Mechanics of Rain, Mobility and Intervention) , 2005.
Sherman Ong, Untitled (from Monsoon - The Mechanics of Rain, Mobility and Intervention) , 2005.
was a child, to observe the activities of
ants and fish-the main protagonists of
the project. He was searching for a way
to document their activities so that the
images would serve as metaphors for the
Cambodian society. Fascinated by the
similarities in their ways of life and that
of human beings, 36-year-old Remissa
conceived a series of images and made
sketches of them. Shooting under natural
light, his aim was to attract the viewers'
attention with strong colors, unusual
compositions, and the fascination of see-
ing something so small up-close.
Having survived the Khmer
Rouge and living today in a society
where changes of power can still be
swift and dangerous, Remissa hopes that
his viewers will treat one another with
respect and not seek to dominate over
people. "Today, we struggle to main-
tain our status at work and at home, "
says Remissa, who has worked as a
photojournalist for the past ten years.
"We strive to rise in power at every op-
portunity but it is always done at the
expense of others. Status and power are
the ultimate goals. [But] unlike animals,
we have a choice and hopefully we can
make a difference."
L
aotian photographer and tele-
vision producer Vannaphone
Sitthirath's Growing Up in the
Mekong (2004) documents the
lives of Laotian and Cambodian
children living in Vientiane, Phnom
Penh, and the towns bordering Thailand,
which is seen as the land of opportuni-
ties. Almost all of them are victims of
exploitation or drug abuse. Some sell
their blood to stay alive; others end up
in Bangkok as prostitutes or beggars. The
simplicity in her photographic approach
serves to highlight the broader issues of
child trafficking and inequitable eco-
nomic development across borders.
To depict the children's lives, Sit-
Sue Hajdu, Miss Peacock, 2001 , installation detail. Vannaphone Sitthirath, This boy stands under the bridge that goes from
Poipet to Aranyaprathet (from Growing up in the Mekong) , 2004.
52 ASIAN ART NEWS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2007
thirath has drawn on the memories of her own
childhood in Vientiane. While her life was also
a struggle growing up in the Laotian capital, she
had more space to play in and there were fewer
cars on the streets. More important, there was no
such thing as child beggars or street kids. "Today,
technology has advanced and our GDP is higher,
and yet, we have more child beggars and more
children with no access to education," says Sit-
thirath, while noting that the Mekong countries
have also changed rapidly in the past five years.
"What has happened?"
Within the context of Another Asia, Sitthi-
rath's work has been particularly useful in provid-
ing the backdrop to stories of the Mekong told by
other photographers at the festival, an example of
which is Singaporean photographer Zann Huizhen
Huang's Cambodian Glue Kids (2005).
Wim Melis, while commenting on the
differences in approach between Western and
local photographers in South and Southeast Asia,
suggests that Asian photographers at the festival
have addressed issues that are less obvious to
a foreign photographer. Although her desire to
photograph the child addicts at Siem Reap is no
less genuine than that of Sitthirath, Huang's series
presents a somewhat expected view of Cambodia.
It is understandable: Huang is from Singapore and
Cambodia is as foreign to her as any photogra-
pher from Europe or America. Moreover, when
she did the project at Siem Reap, Huang was only
two months into her photographic career.
After working as an English teacher for
several years, Huang made the career switch when
she went to Aceh to document the Boxing Day
tsunami in 2004. Largely self-taught, Huang learnt
through constant practice. Today, she is one of
the few Singaporeans working independently and
almost exclusively in the genre of documentary
photography. "Asia is developing very quickly
and I want to depict the marginalized in the face
of modernization, " says Huang, who is now rep-
resented by the New York-based World Picture
News. "The sight of such young kids, amidst non-
chalant adults and tourists who pass them by as
they sniff glue in broad daylight, simply wrenched
my heart. What other photographers have done
before me will not affect the way I shoot Cambo-
dia. When I feel I must do something, I just put
myself wholeheartedly into it without worrying
too much about the outcome."
S
herman Ong'sMonsoon- The Mechanics
of Rain, Mobility and Intervention (2005)
shares Huang's intuitiveness in terms of
execution. The Malaysia-born photog-
rapher actually shot the impressionistic
series in 40 minutes with a Nikon D70 when he
was in Hanoi for another engagement. Ong was
in a vehicle when the sky turned dark. As he
headed back towards his hotel, a hailstorm and
vety heavy rain followed to pound the city. His
decision to record the phenomenon was imme-
diate. Reviewing the result, he realized that the
series is very much in line with his interest as a
Pablo Bartholomew, Man with Purse, (from Early Work) , 1975-1982. Image courtesy of Pablo
Bartholomew/Netphotograph.com and Noorderlicht Photofestival Another Asia.
Pablo Bartholomew, Photo Studio (from Early Work) , 1975-1982. Image courtesy of Pablo
Bartholomew/Netphotograph.com and Noorder/icht Photofestival Another Asia.
filmmaker and photographer. "Throughout the Rajesh Vora, Untitled (from Traveling Photo Studio), 2000- 2004. Image courtesy of Rajesh Vora and
history of art , creators have always been trying Kul sum Studi o and Noorderlicht Photofestival Another Asia.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2007 ASIAN ART NEWS 53
Between Art And Documentary
Noorderlicht Photofestival curator Wi m Melis has faced innumerable challenges in establishing
Another Asia. Is there an Asian approach to photography? This is one of the major questions that
Wim Melis has attempted to answer. Recently he met with Asian Art Newss Zhuang Wubin to talk
about the challenges of Another Asia) photography in general) and some of the differences between
Western and Asian photographers ) approaches to photography.
Zhuang Wubin: What are the curatorial
challenges of Another Asia?
Wim Melis : The biggest challenge was
discovering the work. I've looked at
other non-Western continents for previ-
ous festivals and usually there was some
groundwork available to start me off, for
instance books or organizations that could
point me in the right direction. In this case,
there was almost nothing, as this is the first
comprehensive show of the region. It took
a lot of digging, and I'm sure there's still
work that hasn't been unearthed yet.
Photography is a very young art
form, and the infrastructures of a mature
art form are not there yet in most countries.
That's one reason for the lack of research.
The second is that we have presented this
year's edition as one region, but it is really
a set of multiple regions with enormous
diversity, making it necessary to build not
one, but a number of research networks.
The "another" component of the
festival was less of a challenge, because
it comes naturally to us. We always try to
find work that's on the border between
art and documentary, work that tells
the stories behind headlines. This is the
general approach of Noorderlicht and the
result always provides a different way of
looking at issues than the one presented
in newspapers.
How do the views of local and Western
photographers differ in this year's
festival? Does the historical section of
Another Asia provide counterbalance
to these views?
If you compare the Asian and Western
sections, you'll see that the difference is
in the level of intimacy. You can sense in
the works of local photographers that they
are photographing an environment that
is natural to them. They look at smaller
issues, or issues that have a deeper layer-
ing-things that a Westerner will not notice
immediately. In contrast, you'll see that the
Western photographers-even those with
Asian roots-look at a world that is not
their own. They tend to look at what is dif-
ferent from their experiences, the directly
visible issues.
54 ASIAN ART NEWS
Although their concern and sincer-
ity are the same, they express themselves
differently from Asian photographers.
Interestingly, most of the photographers
in the Western section have stronger-than-
average ties with the region-some have
Asian backgrounds, others have moved
there permanently.
As for the historical component, it
works more as enrichment to the festival.
We've tried to show work in this section
that adds to our understanding of Asian
history and traditions. But since it is smaller
than the other sections, you can only
scratch the surface. One thing we did was
a special focus on portraiture, showing its
tradition over the years. This is interesting,
since portraiture is always present at the
start of the development of photography,
and that it shows how people like to imag-
ine themselves in photos.
Having looked at the region through
this tripty ch format, what are y our
view s of Another Asia?
I think it would be too presumptuous of me
to make a social statement on the region as
a whole. Of course, I have opinions, but
I'm not a sociologist or a politician. And
while I have researched photography, I
don't feel that it's my place to make such
general statements.
However, looking at the devel-
opment of photography, I see people
discovering new ways of expression. In a
country such as India, the development of
photography is close to maturity. In other
countries, people are still taking the first
steps, and I'll be ve1y curious to see how
things develop in future . What I see are
photographers who are intimately con-
cerned with the world they live in and are
trying to find new ways of telling us about
that. There's freshness in their approach
that's not so easy to find in the West any-
more, where eve1ything has already been
done and where everyone's mind is filled
with a billion images.
Looking at the Asian photographers
at Noorderlicht, do you think there is
an Asian approach to photography? If
not, do you feel that the West heavily
influences Asian photographers?
I think influence from the West is inevi-
table. Westerners were the first who looked
for good photographers from the region,
thereby stimulating the development of
photography. You'll also see that the more
accomplished photographers from Asia
have already been in touch with Western
photography. Apart from ChobiMela, there
are a few small Asian photofestivals that
have been initiated by Westerners. But that's
normal in a global world-external stimuli
leading to the exploration of one's path.
I'm not sure if there's an Asian
perspective though. There is certainly an
insider's perspective, a more intimate way
of looking at things. If there is anything dif-
ferent in Asian photography from the other
non-Western regions we have featured, it
is the contrasts you see eve1ywhere. The
societies are diverse, both internally and
amongst themselves, and so is the pho-
tography. While the other regions have
a certain similarity in their photographic
approach, for instance the strong catholic
visual legacy in Latin America, there is no
common denominator in Asia.
Perhaps one ofthe most significant cu-
ratorial decisions for Another Asia was
to leave out China. What is the reason?
The reason for not including China is
because of the huge differences in pho-
tographic development when compared
to other countries. There is an incredible
amount of good photography coming
out of China now, and there have been
numerous exhibitions that focus solely on
Chinese photography. Because we want
to show 'another' Asia, it is better not to
include China. The country has already
been featured too frequently and people
know what's going on there. Better to de-
vote the limited space to works that people
don't know yet and to give lesser-known
photographers a chance. That's always the
idea behind our non-Western editions: give
photographers a new platform, surprise
the audience with something they didn't
know, and provide them with a new way
of looking at these societies. Give them
some food for thought.
JANUARY/ FEBRUARY 2007
to depict the relation between man and
nature," says Ong, who is now based in
Singapore. "Realizing the transient nature of
our existence, human beings always try to
control the environment so that we can live
in a more predictable manner, but there's
always a limit as to what we can do. "
According to Ong, the monsoon
governs the economy, harvesting seasons,
even the beach resorts in Asia. On the
literal level , his series shows how humans
are forced to be small in the face of nature.
But the style in which the series was shot
also implies the psychological impact that
the monsoon has on Asians. Ong's work
feels rather open-ended, which is perhaps
what he means when he notes, "the preva-
lence of things left unsaid is characteristic
of Asian creators. "
A
mongst the photography from
other countries featured in
A not her Asia, that from the
Subcontinent was the subject
of much deserved attention.
Inevitably, given the region's diversity,
the range of approaches and issues
presented by local photographers was
truly bewildering. Pablo Bartholomew's
Early Work (1975-1982) , for example,
offers an affecting view of India's fringe
societies shot more than 25 years ago. It
was Bartholomew's way of "connecting
with the Western world that was looking
to the East, post-Vietnam." He pictured
the junkies in the sleazy tourist ghettos
of Delhi. In Bombay, he documented the
opium dens, red-light districts, and eunuch
quarters while continuing his work in the
film and advertising industry.
As a young photographer, Bar-
tholomew took pictures to satisfy his inner
need. "This need can now be defined as
having an affinity for the people whom
I photographed and reacting to the very
safe middle-to-upper-class background
that I came from," says Bartholomew, 47.
"It is the pleasure of engagement with my
untrained eye, the rush from the discovery
of a medium, and the gratification from
people whom I had photographed. "
Bartholomew first presented the
series in Delhi, in 1980, and in Bombay,
in 1981. The shows were "path-breaking, "
according to the photographer, because
nobody had previously engaged the
fringe in such a manner. To show a small
part of these photographs in this year's
Noorderlicht serves as an important marker
to Bartholomew's illustrious career, during
which he has won the World Press Photo
Award twice and served on the jury in 1999
and 2000. By reassessing his early images,
Bartholomew hopes to find the direction
that he will take in the future.
Conceptual work from the region
was also well represented at Noorderlicht
by Pushpamala N's The Ethnographic Series
(2000-2004) and Annu Palakunnathu Mat-
thew's Bollywood Satirized 0999-2000).
The Ethnographic Series actually belongs
to a larger project entitled Native Women
of South India - Manners and Customs.
In the 19th century, there were numerous
women's studios, zenanas, in cities such
as Hyderabad and Kolkata, where Indian
women would be photographed with
painted sets: such studios were often run by
British female photographers. Native Wom-
en of South India is a photo-performance
in which Bangalore-born Pushpamala and
British photographer Clare Arni play the
protagonists of the zenana to explore
the history of photography as a tool of
ethnographic documentation. The original
intention was quite modest: to recreate 15
photographs of South Indian women base. j
Pushpamala N. and Clare Arni, Untitled (from The Ethnographic Series),
2000-2004. From Native Women of South India- Manners and Customs project.
Pushpamala N. and ClareArni, Untitled (from The Ethnographic Series), 2000-
2004. From Native Women of South India- Manners and Customs project.
JANUARY/ FEBRUARY 2007 ASIAN ART NEWS 55
Anay Mann, Ravi , Amaar, and I m ran (from Generation in Transition) , Anay Mann, Neelakshi with her family (from Generation in Transition) , 2000-2004.
2000-2004. Image courtesy of Anay Mann/Photoink and Noorderlicht Image courtesy of Anay Mann/Photoink and Noorderlicht Photofestival Another Asia.
Photofestival Another Asia.
on images collected from various sources,
the earliest of which is a 16th century
miniature painting of the Yogini, a mythi-
cal sorceress who traps unwary travelers,
while the most recent one is a 2002 news
photograph of two chain snatchers holding
up police name slates.
In a way, Annu Palakunnathu an arranged marriage but instead to pursue
Matthew's Bollywood Satirized echoes photography in America.
Pushpamala's desire to reflect on the feudal "When I started photography, I
nature of the Indian society. However, un- wanted to be a photojournalist and depict
like Pushpamala, who staged all her images issues surrounding the lives of South Asian
physically, Matthew made use of digital women, but my personality is not that of
technology to reinterpret Bollywood-movie a journalist, and so I searched for a way
posters, which traditionally depict women to address the issues in the manner that
''T
he idea was to deconstruct as "seductive beings" and "men as heroes I am comfortable," says Matthew. "The
these familiar images by re- who are able to conquer them. " Her aim is stereotypes and melodrama conveyed by
constructing them as closely to challenge the gender roles thrust upon Bollywood posters seemed perfect to get
as possible," Pushpamala Indian women. Born in England, Matthew my message across-by couching ideas and
says. The first shoot would returned to India when she was ten. She issues in humor. "
recreate the source image with very little left India at 28 after deciding not to have Despite clothing the issues in satire,
variation. But with subsequent . . - - - ~ - - - - --....--.'!!!"1"'- reactions to her work have been
shoots, the protagonists would mixed. In Bangalore, Matthew
improvise, sometimes with Arni had the opportunity to share
even joining Pushpamala within her personal experiences with
the frame. The improvisations a group of women in an open
became more elaborate and the and frank discussion. However,
project developed into different there were also viewers who
parts, one of which became The simply would not talk to her. "In
Ethnogmphic Series. America, when my work was ex-
The series acts as a "sly" hibited at a university, the Indian
commentary on anthropological students protested as they felt
studies, in which native subjects that India should not be shown
are rooted as specimens. Ac- in this light, " says Matthew. "Just
cording to Pushpamala, in the because I love my homeland
19th century, European anthro- does not mean I can't be criti-
pologists' interests in codification cal of it. "
actually made the Indian society Interestingly, the usual
even more hierarchical. But her perception with a project such
project, when seen in its entirety, as Bollywood Satirized is that it
suggests that both the British and is probably more urgent to show
the Indians were guilty of using it in India than to the Indian
photography to confirm stereo- communities in England or the
types, with the latter obsessed in United States. However, from
forming a national identity. "India Matthew's experience, it is in fact
is so diverse that people identify the immigrants who tend to be
each other by their ethnic corn- more traditional than their rela-
munities and their stereotypical tives in India. Therefore, both
characteristics," says Pushpamala. sets of audiences are important
"People at the center or at the to the artist.
top would see the people at On the other hand, it is
the margins with the colonizers' tempting to view the work of
gaze-that they are lazy' unci vi- An nu Palakunnathu Matthew, Dowry Violence (from Bollywood Satirized) , Raza Kazim and his wife Rashida
lized, dirty, and criminal." 1999-2000. Raza in relation to Pakistani so-
56 ASIAN ART NEWS JANUARY/ FEBRUARY 2007
ciety. But Kazim, who is a for-
mer communist party member,
lawyer, musician, and founder
of the Sanjan agar Institute of
Philosophy and Arts (SIPA) in
Lahore, is quick to dispel the
notion. In fact, he has never
used photography or music "as
an instrument of political com-
munication or social activism. "
"I
of significantly
activating the viewers'
feelings and ideas,"
Kazim says. "When permutations
and combinations of ordinary
things or people-typically on
a small scale-trigger my own
feelings and ideas, I'll tty to see if
I can package them in a manner
which will serve as a catalyst
for the viewer to make various
pictures in his or her mind."
The aim is to use photographs
as "dynamic symbols."
"In order to become
a dynamic symbol, a photo-
graph must be easy to view
and recognize," said Kazim in
a 2004 interview with Pakistani
newspaper Daily Times. "It must
not have any stark notes and
its appeal must not be in terms
of wonderment for the objects
depicted, which is characteristic
of pictures printed in magazines
like National Geographic. "
Therefore, the empha-
sis is not on the message or
intention of the photographer.
It is the latitude of possibilities
experienced by the viewers
from his images that Kazim is
more concerned with. He calls
I am very tired! Karachi-Pakistan. From Portraits, 1979-2003. Image courtesy
of Rash id a Raza and Raza Kazim and Noorderlicht Photofestival Another Asia.
Today, girls who have
a basic education run SIPA's
School of Photography. Under
the guidance of Kazim and
his wife, the girls have learnt
to develop photographs and
understand the thought pro-
cesses behind the act of mak-
ing pictures. They have also
learnt to take photos in various
workshops conducted by inter-
national photographers and the
couple. Portraits 0979-2003),
a selection of image by Raza
Kazim and Rashida Raza, was
shown in the historical section
of Another Asia.
it the "oriental approach," which can also
be found in classical poetry from the East.
This is in line with the philosophy at the
SIPA School of Photography, where the
craft is pursued as a medium for emotional
and intellectual expression, and as a tool
for the refinement of the mental process.
Zhuang Wubin is a Singapore-based pho-
tographer and arts writer.
Rashida Raza and Raza Kazim, Darkness at noon Lyari (Karachi slum),
(from Portraits), 1979-2003.
Rashida Raza and Raza Kazim, Is there a tomorrow? Afghan refugee mother
and child in Pakistan during Soviet occupation, (from Portraits} , 1979-2003.
JANUARY /FEBRUARY 2007 ASIAN ART NEWS 57