Plantage van suikerriet op de suikeronderneming Nieuw Tersana, Cheribon, voormalig Nederlands-Indië c. 1890 - 1935

This photograph of a sugar cane plantation in the former Dutch East Indies was taken by Onnes Kurkdjian sometime between 1851 and 1903. The gray scale tones give the whole scene a graphic quality, like a charcoal drawing perhaps. A drawing that’s all about the process of building up tone through repeated marks and gestures. The photo’s surface is quite matte, not glossy, and the graininess reminds you of the way photographs used to be, and the way they still can be if you want them to. Look how the stalks of cane are stacked and piled into neat, but not too neat, bundles. It's really about texture and surface. Look at the way the light catches the edges of each piece of cane. You can almost feel the rough, fibrous texture. The scene reminds me of Walker Evans. Both artists are recording a place and a time, but also telling a story about the people who lived and worked there. This conversation across time reminds me that art is an ongoing thing, a back and forth between artists and ideas. It’s not about fixed meanings, but about opening up space for imagination and possibility.