Twee getatoeëerde dragers bij een man in een Kago 1867 - 1868

Editor: This albumen print photograph, “Twee getatoeëerde dragers bij een man in een Kago,” from 1867-1868 by Felice Beato, gives such a strange impression. The tattoo designs and hats are really striking, but I wonder what was going on when it was taken, as the three men are frozen mid-action in what looks like a very formal tableau. How do you interpret this work? Curator: That's an astute observation! Given Beato’s established career documenting war and political events, we need to question what he aimed to convey, and who he made it for. While at first glance, this albumen print might present itself as ethnographic documentation, perhaps aiming to reveal details of Japanese life to a Western audience, the very performance you noticed is, I believe, deliberate. Consider the composition, where the tattooed bodies of the two 'carriers' frame the seemingly passive figure being carried. Editor: You mean this might be a posed photograph meant to cater to Western fantasies about Japan? Curator: Precisely. Think about the concept of "Orientalism," where the East is often romanticized or exoticized for Western consumption, reinforcing existing power dynamics and projecting the viewer's desires on othered populations. This is meant to show and reinforce the otherness of these men in this constructed scene. It raises ethical concerns, doesn't it? Editor: Definitely! It’s not just a picture but a statement, isn’t it? Almost as if the photographer wants to make a distinction between "us" and "them." It’s definitely something to reflect on! Curator: Absolutely. Remembering that art is never created in a vacuum and has consequences beyond just aesthetics!