Groot huis op de suikeronderneming Nieuw Tersana, Cheribon, voormalig Nederlands-Indië c. 1890 - 1935

Onnes Kurkdjian made this gelatin silver print, titled 'Groot huis op de suikeronderneming Nieuw Tersana, Cheribon, voormalig Nederlands-Indië', sometime between the late 19th and early 20th century, and it's like stepping into a dream, a memory of a place far away. The tones of the photo are amazing in their delicate grey graduation. I love to imagine Kurkdjian setting up his camera, adjusting the focus, and waiting for the right light to capture this scene. What was he thinking when he chose to frame the sugar plantation house this way? What stories did this building hold for him? I love how the trees cast shadows on the house and filter the light coming through. And the way the fence is slightly out of focus is wonderful. It reminds me of some of Gerhard Richter’s out-of-focus paintings. These are just regular marks, but somehow they create a feeling of nostalgia, a sense of longing for a place and time that's just out of reach. It’s like the artist is saying, "Here is a place I knew, a moment I experienced," and inviting us to fill in the gaps with our own imaginations.