Beeld van Bodhisattva Manjushri in mediterende houding. 1864 - 1868

Curator: Here we have a photograph entitled "Beeld van Bodhisattva Manjushri in mediterende houding", which roughly translates to "Statue of Bodhisattva Manjushri in meditative pose." The image was captured by Isidore Kinsbergen sometime between 1864 and 1868. Editor: It exudes stillness. Even in this grainy, aged photograph, you can feel the weight of contemplation. The figure is centered, very grounded, almost monolithic against the dark backdrop. Curator: Kinsbergen, working in the Dutch East Indies, documented numerous cultural artifacts. We need to remember this through the lens of colonial dynamics. How does power influence representation? How might local narratives be erased or overwritten? Editor: Absolutely, we must acknowledge the power dynamics at play during the creation of the piece itself. However, regardless, looking beyond, the symbolic weight of the lotus position, the delicate hand gestures... Manjushri is associated with wisdom, right? You feel that potent calm radiating outwards. There is repetition in the ornamental detailing of the robe and headdress; they remind one of waves, maybe even of sacred chanting? Curator: The very act of photographing such a spiritually significant figure then takes on another layer. Who has access, who is excluded? What is highlighted, and what is purposefully left out? These acts reinforce existing power structures. Moreover, the aesthetic movement of orientalism surely impacts this photographic depiction. The meditative position—could it be an easy signifier deployed for an audience back home? Editor: The act of contemplation depicted and of interpreting a representation of contemplation - what a reflective experience to encounter this object and consider the photograph taken of the object at once. You consider both the object as is and how the artist depicts it in the composition. You almost find yourself meditating on Manjushri... through the photograph, filtered and all! Curator: Exactly. The act of representation becomes deeply entangled with power and perspective. Editor: It does lead us to ponder our own position, what do we see in the photo of the statue of Manjushri when confronted with it here and now? Curator: Precisely. And hopefully, interrogating those layers gets us closer to dismantling them.