Stengels suikerriet die zijn aangetast door de Serehziekte before 1898

This photogravure shows sugarcane stalks affected by sereh disease, created by Jean Pierre Moquette. The process of photogravure gives the image a rich, almost velvety texture, emphasizing the disease's impact on the plant's surface. Look closely at the stalks; the sereh disease manifests as a sort of abnormal growth. The disease weakens the plant, reducing its sugar content and ultimately impacting crop yields. Moquette’s work isn’t just a clinical observation. It is bound up with the colonial history of resource extraction. The photograph underscores the vulnerability of sugarcane, and by extension, the economic interests tied to its cultivation. It acknowledges a complex system where labor, agriculture, and scientific understanding intersect. The image reminds us that even seemingly straightforward depictions carry layers of social and economic significance, and highlights the critical role of craft, design, and materiality in understanding art.