Landschap met bergweg op Java 1900 - 1935

This black and white photograph, "Landschap met bergweg op Java," was created by Neville Keasberry, who was of Indo-European descent, a community shaped by the long history of Dutch colonialism in Indonesia. Keasberry’s position as a member of this community is central to understanding this landscape. The image presents a seemingly neutral view of a mountain road, yet it is charged with the complex dynamics of colonial identity. How does Keasberry, as someone with ties to both colonizer and colonized, perceive and represent this landscape? Is he capturing the sublime beauty of Java, or is he subtly commenting on the exploitation of the land and its people under colonial rule? Photographs like these invite us to reflect on the act of seeing and documenting, and to question whose perspectives are often privileged in historical narratives. They remind us that landscapes are never just neutral spaces, but are always imbued with layers of social, political, and personal meaning.