life is too short to be anything but happy

Changes

Life is about to change. The one who doesn’t want changes will left behind the others. The changes is happened in my life, so many changes. It comes from the conditions and situations. Actually not much I can do expect to be clear about my concerns. I have to keep on moving on no matter what, as I can always say “I told you so”.  I can’t predict the future, and I finally getting a point where I can accept this. Roll with life’s changes and allow uncertainty. I believe afterall, everything will turns out okay in the end everytime, right? Right! Just continue to let go and trust the process.

None of us knows what might happen even the next minute, yet still go forward. It is because we  trust. Because we have faith -Paulo Coelho. Ahh, life is always be a perfect teacher. Sometimes the lesson is fun like an art class but sometimes can be difficult like math or algorithm. Well, since no student can go upgrade without passing the exam, I just learned to be a good student and listened what is the teacher say. But don’t forget about the time, it is always ticking. I better use my time wisely and effectively too. 

Mingalar Par, Burma!

To say "Hello" in Myanmar, they say:"mingalar par" 

Time doesn't matter in Myanmar for greetings. Myanmar people say the same word wheter it's in the morning, afternoon, or an evening. This greeting literally means "good" or "nice". No need to say whether it's a good morning or afternoon. We say it altogether. It would carry many meanings: good day; good time; nice meeting you; and so on.

How to Say "Thank you!"
To say "Thank you!" in Myanmar:"chei-zu tin-bar-te"
How to Say "I love you"
To say "I love you!" in Myanmar : "chit-tey"

that is the three important words that I've learned before I went to Burma.

After my US visa been rejected, within 1 week i got my Burma's visa in hand. YAY!

boo US, mingalar par BURMA! :P - sorry sist, it was not a right time maybe to see you there :( 

all my family actually feel shocked when I said I will go to Burma. "Why? why you have to go to the conflict country? why don't go to Thai or Phil?" they said - Well I just said that I always liked to see exotic country, not only sight seeing. As the meaning of traveling for me is to see a diversity and to find a similarity. And at the time my friends whom had a nicely planned to Burma which I am so interested to joined. And here we goes!

my view

here we are!

spotted two temples side by side in Bagan.
Over 2200 temples and pagodas still survive to the present day. 

Ananda Temple, Bagan

Ananda Temple, Bagan

I did climbed to the top of  this temple. just to saw sunset view in Bagan. 

at the one of the temples in Bagan

Have you found the button to turned on your life?

(I am doing monologue)

"Have you ever felt that you can do more than you did?" 
"Have you thought that you should be like this or that before?"
"Have you looked back in five years ago, am I the person that I wanted to be?"
"Have you felt regrets something that you should can get but you didn't get it ?"
"Have you found the button to turned on your life?"

I often asked that question to myself, until I got the answer clearly. But then again another question came up easily. "Do you think life really begin at 40?"

this is 2012. some kind busy year for me. lots of things happened. some are good to me and some are the things that I need to dealing with.

"Do you know that when you asked yourself the questions, time will never stop ticking ?" 

how time flies

me and my sister on the 80's

me and my sister, May 2012

welcoming 2012

wishing you all good health and luck, happiness and happy

祝福大家 身體 健康 , 萬 事 如意, 幸福 又 美滿

JAKARTA ARROGANCE

Jakarta is a dream destination. It always attracts visitors, although it is far from kind for everyone. They who can't fight against the gleam of the city must accept the fact that they are left alone in the corners for the city. Holding on with their life or even living in idle spaces around. All that, left a contrasting scene between the classes living together in a city who arrogantly call itself the metropolitan.

The growth of the upper middle class in Jakarta is increasing as indicated by the increasing number of  luxurious apartment and housing complex which comes with their assorted facilities to fulfill their needs. The congestions of traffic with numbers of private vehicles, is another scene. Their lifestyles and self esteem driven them to become a consumptive class and forgetting their functional needs. Is this the group of people who Bre Redana, a senior journalist from Kompas said as the mindless consumer? "a brainless, passive and easily maniputaled consumer" and often used by the merchants of dreams to sell the luxury. 

This merchants of consumerism often use the language of advertising which seduce , hypnotyze and blinding the eyes, the consciousness of how expensive and important the items are. Property developer, are one of this merchants, they arrogantly mount their wallpaper in the middle of the city. Unwittingly persuade people from all classes to see the luxury that they offer. They transfor empty patch of lands-potentially a park, to malls, luxurious apartments and other skyscraper. A product which can only be claimed by the upper classes. 

Photography and city can't be separated, even photographs regarding a city are the ones that massively produced. The role of photography is to record the life of this urbanites which happens when the photographer appear as a spectacle who peeps through the viewfinder. Not only peeps, the photographer often appears on the scene as well, by involving his subjectivity like what Alex Supartono said "On a city, photography not only records and disclose, it is more than that. Photography has become an instrument to construct the image of a city. From outside or inside, the people living or the place itself”.

This is what Dhemas Reviyanto, student and freelance photgrapher, born in Palembang, South Sumatra 26 May 1987 does. Dhemas live not far from Jakarta and his day to day activities are done in this city, thus this place is no stranger to him. He interested in creating a photographic essay for this city, because he enjoys the process of collecting photographs, which feels like connecting the dots from the daily drama in the city. From the countless phenomenon in Jakarta, he chooses to photograph the walls who seemingly telling a visual story to him.

Dhemas would think this as a way for those arrogant construction towers to seduce the people. And in the end for most people (him included) this would act like a dream and dream only. With the contrast this photographs wanted to compare between the dream that is being sold by the developer and the reality available in the streets. This collection of images were exhibited in Ruang Rupa for the Jakarta  32° exhibition on December 2010 and becomes one of the top 5 photography  work during the exhibition.

As a comparison, Dhemas work is similar to the work of David Gibson. On 8 May 2010, David Gibson a street photographer in London, took a photograph titled “Safe seat...in a hung parliament.” David in this case took it in a public spaces where activity took place. However photograph did not presented as a series, because in the beginning he did not wanted to create those. This is how Dhemas differ than David, because not only he presented it as a series but also he deliberately creating the juxtaposition for the subejct passing through the object which forms the background.

During the photographic process, Dhemas has proven that he is really serious in capturing the visual languange of Jakarta's wall. These series has been taken for a period of a year and it is still continuing until today. Another point, even though Dhemas had seen similar picture, he admitted that he did not get influenced from another photographer.

Dhemas uses color photography because he believe with it he can show the contrast that he see in the road. With the help of colour photography as well, the luxury of the buildings and the athmosphere of the city within the wallpaper could be felt.

The placing of solid colour as a subject which juxtaposed with the walls, give an extra point in the aesthethic in the Dhemas' photograph. For example, the photograph shows the contrasting of the walls which contain the picture of a building with pink  and green coloured buckets in front of it. That particular photograph shows symbols of what is happening in the place resulting in a colour exotiscm. Another example which we can felt satire element, can be seen on the photograph of a man with a suit who lifted a phone. This might make some people smile, but it can also perform as a social criticism against the condition in Jakarta, apart from our awareness of the message or whether we understand it at all. 

From Dhemas' phorograph, we kind of make a conclusion that Jakarta society is a "dreamers' society". When the walls pictured the lavish lifestyle, one can argue that the luxury is something that people chase all the time. If there are other member of society whose lifes did not encouter such entraching reality, maybe they are the ones who fill the idle spaces on the corner of the city. Everyday, the roar of the engine or the shouting of the car horns which crawling and marking that morning had come. All of that forced them to wake up from the dream and realize that the  cold hard trut. Then without much choice they keep doing their cycle of life, until the city lights sings the lullaby to keep dreaming.

Mata Perempuan November 2011 photo by Dhemas Revianto Atmodjo / writing by Mira Amira 

Mata Perempuan

Mata Perempuan is again participating in this year’s Jakarta Biennale XIV 2011 with the theme titled Maximum City. Highlighting what is considered the maximum point that occurs under the diversity and pressures of the big city.

This year the participation of Mata Perempuan carries a different weight on the exhibition with the focus that not only showcases an array of photographers, but also a deeper exploration through the curatorial process involved, a process that both complements and enriches the final artwork through their bold and narrative text.

Through the eyes of 6 talented female, Irma Chantily, Maria Lasakajaya Sari, Natasha Gabriella Tontey, Mira Amira, Dian Rosita and Novianti Sisilia they are given a chance to translate their interpretation of the theme and are involved either on the curational process of selecting the photographer for their work or haven chosen the opportunity to make their own artist statement.

Galeri Foto jurnalistik Antara dan Dewan Kesenian Jakarta Proudly presents:

A Photography Exhibition by Hasil Kerja Penulisan and Kuratorial Foto

Opening : Tuesday, 15 November 2011 | 19.30 WIB

Opening Remarks by : Firman Ichsan (Chairman of Dewan Kesenian Jakarta)

                     Desi Anwar (Senior Journalist who has a hobby of photography)

Live Music : Electric Cadillac

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Dian Rosita | Rian Afriadi

"Mirroring Jakarta"

Irma Chantily | Indrawan Yoswanda Saputra

"Penasaran tapi Takut Dosa"

Maria Lasakajaya Sari | May & Yayang

"Persahabatan dalam Benteng 592 Mill"

Mira Amira | Dhemas Reviyanto Admojo

"Arogansi Jakarta"

Natasha Gabriella Tontey

"Dongeng untuk si Mata Susu"

Novianti Sisilia | Kirana

"Fragility and Survival of a Woman"

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Photo Exhibition schedule :

15 - 21 November 2011

Galeri Foto Jurnalistik Antara

Jl. Antara, No. 59, Pasar Baru. Jakarta Pusat 

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24 November - 12 December 2011

Galeri Oktagon

Jl. Gunung Sahari Raya No. 50 A, Jakarta Pusat

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Speech Intersection with Curator : Sunday 20th November 2011 | 16.00 WIB

NEO Jurnalism Club

Jl. Antara No. 61, Pasar baru, Jakarta Pusat

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Discussion with Photographer : Sunday 4th December 2011 | 15.00 WIB

Galeri Oktagon

Jl. Gunung Sahari Raya No. 50 A, Jakarta Pusat

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Supported by : Pemprov DKI Jakarta | Enjoy Jakarta | Galeri Nasional Indonesia | OKTAGON | GLOBE DIGITAL IMAGING | Jurnal Nasional | | 89.2 FM Green Radio | Kompas.com | O Channel | NEO Jurnalism Club

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FREE OF CHARGE

#JAKARTABIENNALE2011