Diplomacy seen through photos and music
Features - November 22, 2005

Mario Koch, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Diplomatic relations are not about political intercourse alone. Far from it: People of different and often distant countries can be brought closer together and mutual understanding be created.

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Poland and Indonesia, the Polish Embassy proved once more that artists and their work can build bridges between nations.

At Hotel Borobodur, Central Jakarta, guests from all over the world, including numerous diplomats, witnessed on Thursday the opening of a photo exhibition, Fascinations with Indonesia, by Piotr Jakubowski.

Only 19, the Jakarta-born Pole has created outstanding pictures, primarily using digital devices.

The current exhibition consists of selected photographs centering on the themes Indonesia Black and White, Flora and Fauna and Letters from Aceh. The latter is both the main part of the show and the title of a new book edited by Dennise Rao.

It features letters from students of Jakarta International School (JIS) to Acehnese schoolchildren hit hard by the devastating tsunami last December, and their astonishingly optimistic, moving replies.

All the proceeds from the project will go to rebuilding schools in the region on the northernmost tip of Sumatra.

Scott Graham of JIS digital photography club chose Jakubowski to accompany him to visit Aceh and take pictures to illustrate the book in late May.

The outcome of their work is an expression of hope and strength mirrored in the eyes and smiles of the children/survivors depicted.

" It's such an amazing experience to see these kids laughing and playing in the middle of all that devastation. They look so happy and keen to learn in their barracks-cum-schools, with everything around in ruins," Jakubowski told The Jakarta Post.

" For instance, the little girl shown in the photograph Cerita tsunami is truly one of the most interesting and fascinating people I've ever met (see adjacent photo).

"She told me she had lost a bunch of people from her family. After we had talked for quite a while, she smiled and offered to write up her story for me. That was very touching. I just left her alone and took photos from a distance," Jakubowski said.

The Flora and Fauna section comprises super-macro shots that erupt in color and detail, whereas the Indonesia Black and White portraits are snapshots intriguingly capable of telling very human stories.

The official opening of the exhibition by Polish Ambassador to Indonesia Tomasz Lukaszuk was marked by a piano recital by Marta Podolska.

The 25-year-old vigorously interpreted Chopin's Polonaise op.40 no.1, leaving the Polish and Indonesian flags alongside her trembling and shaking.

In a short speech that followed, Lukaszuk praised the state of Polish-Indonesian relations, promising to spare no effort to promote further close cooperation between the two countries.

With Podolska playing a number of pieces by Chopin and Liszt in the background and guests marveling at Jakubowski's pictures, the evening seemed to be a success for both Poland and Indonesia.

To determine the proximity of the two countries, one need not look at a map but, rather, their national flags: The red and white bands on each are an exact upside-down image of the other.

in box:

Photography exhibition Fascinations with Indonesia through Nov. 25 in front of Bogor Caf‚ and Restaurant Hotel Borobodur Jl. Lapangan Banteng Selatan Jakarta Pusat