The Border Line Series #4, 2024
These images depict Huta Babiat, a village located in the remote hills on the borderland in South Tapanuli, West Sumatra and Riau. The villagers are descendants of the Datu who fled the Paderi war in the 1800s. Until recently, they continued to practise Javanese ancestral beliefs of worshipping forest and river guardians. The tiger and the weretiger formed an important part of this belief where man and tiger are not easily distinct, but enter into different states through the crossing of the river – a spiritual gateway.
However, the rampant opening of mining and oil palm plantations not only disrupted the harmony with land, but also influenced their culture, leading to the abandonment of traditional rituals.
In Harahap’s fictional retelling, the village no longer exists, and even the memory is destined for nothingness. The artist asks us to consider how capitalism and colonialism disrupt our relationship to land and nature. In the selected photographs, the images depict some of the village rituals, all viewed from behind. Man turns away. Tragedy beckons.
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Agan Harahap (b. 1980, Indonesia) is a photographer and illustrator known for his distinctive practice of combining photography and digital manipulation to blur the boundaries between fantasy and reality, creating satirical parodies of human life. He graduated from the Design and Art College, Bandung, in 2005.
Agan’s works have been widely exhibited across Southeast Asia, Korea, Japan, Portugal, Colombia, and Australia. He was a finalist for the prestigious Indonesian Art Award in 2008.
However, the rampant opening of mining and oil palm plantations not only disrupted the harmony with land, but also influenced their culture, leading to the abandonment of traditional rituals.
In Harahap’s fictional retelling, the village no longer exists, and even the memory is destined for nothingness. The artist asks us to consider how capitalism and colonialism disrupt our relationship to land and nature. In the selected photographs, the images depict some of the village rituals, all viewed from behind. Man turns away. Tragedy beckons.
***
Agan Harahap (b. 1980, Indonesia) is a photographer and illustrator known for his distinctive practice of combining photography and digital manipulation to blur the boundaries between fantasy and reality, creating satirical parodies of human life. He graduated from the Design and Art College, Bandung, in 2005.
Agan’s works have been widely exhibited across Southeast Asia, Korea, Japan, Portugal, Colombia, and Australia. He was a finalist for the prestigious Indonesian Art Award in 2008.
Artist:
Agan Harahap
Salt Print on Acid-free Paper 300gsm
Set of 10, 29.7 x 21 cm each (unframed), 38.7 x 30 x 3 cm (framed)
Edition 1 of 2 + 1AP
Agan Harahap
Salt Print on Acid-free Paper 300gsm
Set of 10, 29.7 x 21 cm each (unframed), 38.7 x 30 x 3 cm (framed)
Edition 1 of 2 + 1AP