Rokende vulkaan in Nederlands-Indië 1912

Onnes Kurkdjian created this photograph titled 'Smoking volcano in the Dutch East Indies', capturing a landscape that was as volatile politically as it was geologically. Kurkdjian, an Armenian photographer based in the Dutch East Indies, catered to a European audience eager for exotic images of the colony. This image is more than just a landscape, it’s a document embedded in the complex power dynamics of colonialism. The volcano, a symbol of raw, untamed nature, is framed and consumed through a Western lens. Consider how the very act of photographing this landscape is an act of claiming it. How did the local population perceive these images? Did they see a celebration of their land, or a symbol of their subjugation? What does it mean to turn a blind eye to the social implications of such a photograph? Look closely and let's consider what is present, as well as what is excluded from the frame.