Drie foto's van de weg tussen Wanasari en Tji Kalong, Java 1909

Carolina Onnen created these three photographs of the road between Wanasari and Tji Kalong in Java. The image shows the impact of colonial infrastructure projects on the landscape and people of Java. The photographs offer a glimpse into the social and economic changes occurring in the Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia, in the early 20th century. The construction of roads and bridges, showcased here, facilitated the extraction of resources and the movement of goods. Yet they also altered traditional ways of life, impacting local communities. The presence of a car on a bridge, for example, speaks to the introduction of new technologies. It also speaks to the uneven distribution of resources within a colonial society. Understanding these photographs requires us to look into Dutch colonial archives, engineering reports, and social histories of Java during this period. The meaning of art is always dependent on social and institutional context.