Catriona Richards

Jakarta Globe, May 21, 2012

Want to know why Jakarta’s traffic is so bad? Perhaps it’s because a bear and a panda are dancing in the middle of the road. At least, that’s the reason in the imagination of Adnyani Dewi, a photographer soon to exhibit work at the Dia.lo.gue artspace in Kemang.

Dewi is one of 12 artists in the South Jakarta exhibition “Maps, Re-Imagined,” curated by Mitha Budhyarto, which aims to showcase the works of creative individuals who rarely exhibit in the capital, and whose main occupations are outside the world of art.

For most of the participants, that means they work in creative industries, as graphic designers, producers, or fashion experts.

Dewi herself freelances as a photographer, but her day job is something altogether different — she is a full-time mom to her 2-year-old daughter.

Instead of using motherhood as an excuse to give up on her passion, Dewi has found inspiration in raising her daughter. At 29, she finds the world of playtime to be full of possibilities for exploring her city and her imagination.

Taking the Long Road

Dewi came to photography almost by accident. In fact, it all started simply because she didn’t like to run.

“At senior high school, we had to choose an extracurricular activity.

I didn’t like sports, so I skipped that and chose cooking. I soon realized I wasn’t too good at that either,” she laughed. “Then I joined a photography club, and fell in love with the camera.”

Dewi wanted to continue studying photography after school, but didn’t know of any good photography schools in Indonesia, so she chose a fashion school instead. Another thing that influenced her decision was the Jakarta traffic.

“Jakarta is so full of traffic jams, I just wanted to choose something close,” she said. “But after a couple of months at fashion school, I already knew it wasn’t for me.”

After dropping out of fashion school, Dewi realized she would have to face a lot more than the traffic if she wanted to pursue her dream of becoming a photographer.

She left the congested streets of Jakarta behind and moved all the way to San Francisco, where she took up photography at the Academy of Art University.

Art vs. Industry

The classes in California equipped Dewi for a career in advertising. She learned a lot about technique, but felt there was something missing.

“I really wanted to study fine art,” she said.

While she saw the value in developing her hobby into an employable skill, Dewi longed for the feeling of when she first held a camera in her hands, and finally felt she could express herself. She longed for that feeling of playtime.

After returning to Jakarta for a year, Dewi set off abroad again to study at the Paris Photographic Institute (Speos). It was there that she finally found the tuition she wanted.
Motherhood and Childhood

Back in Jakarta, Dewi was ready to launch her career as a fine art photographer. It was around that time that she became a mother.

“You could say I am a full-time mom,” she said. “But I find a lot of inspiration from my kid, actually.”

Teaching and playing with her daughter gave Dewi the freedom to return to playtime, and discover the world anew with her camera.

She took on a project to celebrate Jakarta’s anniversary with Museum Layang-Layang, a kite museum in Pondok Labu, South Jakarta.

Remembering her own childhood in Jakarta, Dewi gathered wind-up toys, pop-rock candy, sea shells and chocolate cigarettes, and shot them all against a bright yellow background for the museum’s promotional material.

This foray into the industry inspired her to explore the idea of childhood further in her personal work. She began collecting toys, and setting up her own dioramas to photograph at home.

Full Circle

Reminiscing about her childhood brought back memories for Dewi of why she left Jakarta in the first place: that unbearable traffic.

It also brought back memories of a song she used to sing as a kid, about a traffic jam being caused by a Komodo dragon crossing the street. In her own reconstruction, Dewi swapped the Komodo for a bear and panda dancing in the road.

She gave her photo a title like a newspaper headline, “Panda and Bear Play Around, Main Streets Grind to a Standstill.”

“These photos show the city of Jakarta in my imagination,” she said of the collection to be exhibited at Dia.lo.gue. “The roads are jammed, and so we ask: What is stopping the traffic? Instead of being frustrated, we can enjoy using our imagination.”

With her toys and camera in hand, Dewi finds she is able to share her playful ideas with others.

“When I am creating my own work, I feel free,” she said. “I don’t have to think about clients, or what other people want.

“Finally, I am free to express.”