Ontscheping in Soerabaja 1949

This photograph, titled "Ontscheping in Soerabaja", captures the disembarkation in Surabaya, and presents a stark view of military life. Here, the symbol of the landing craft, LST 4, dominates the frame. The open maw of the LST 4, disgorging vehicles and personnel, evokes the underworld, an infernal gate through which figures emerge into a new, uncertain reality. This imagery is not new; consider the "Porta Inferi," the symbolic entrance to the underworld, seen throughout ancient art and religious iconography. The military trucks lined up here echo the procession of souls. Throughout time, the symbol of the gate has transformed, yet its core meaning persists. In ancient Egypt, the journey through gates marked stages of spiritual transformation, while in medieval art, gates separated the earthly from the divine. This photograph, like these earlier works, engages with the subconscious—the emotional weight of transition, of moving from one state to another. The repetition of the LST gate emphasizes the cyclical nature of conflict.