Optocht tijdens het Chinese cap go meh 1900 - 1935

Editor: This photograph, titled "Optocht tijdens het Chinese cap go meh," captured sometime between 1900 and 1935 by Neville Keasberry, shows a procession. It has a documentary feel to it, yet something about the subjects’ faces remains elusive. What do you see in this piece, beyond the immediately visible? Curator: This image, presented in a stereoscopic format that hints at a colonial gaze attempting to capture and ‘own’ the exotic other, isn't merely a documentation of a Cap Go Meh parade. The choice of staging and perspective becomes crucial. It evokes a time of unequal power dynamics between the colonizer and the colonized. The photographer's choice of subject indicates an exoticizing desire from a western perspective to show a "peculiar scene". What impact might this depiction have had on the local community portrayed and on the way Dutch colonial viewers perceived them? Editor: That's fascinating. I hadn't considered the potential imbalance of power inherent in the act of documenting another culture. So, the photograph serves not just as a record but as a statement, albeit a possibly problematic one? Curator: Precisely. Consider the implications of exhibiting this photograph, not as a neutral record but as evidence of how cultural narratives can be shaped, reinforced, and sometimes distorted. In that sense, even a seemingly objective piece of photography is intrinsically charged with ideological viewpoints. What is the responsibility of art institutions when presenting these images? Editor: I guess we need to provide a counter-narrative, contextualizing the work and prompting viewers to think critically about the colonial lens. I definitely see this photograph differently now. Thank you for providing me with some great food for thought. Curator: My pleasure. It is these critical dialogues that allow us to reassess art's function, making it both relevant and responsible.