Text and photos by Tom White
On 19 September, Matt and I attended a talk at Objectifs in Singapore: Gueari Galeri’s Practices and Mapping Indonesian Photobook Publishing: Caron Toshiko and Andi Ari Setiadi from Gueari Galeri in conversation with Zhuang Wubin.
Caron and Andi Ari spoke eloquently about the evolving and wide ranging photobook community in Indonesia, and their aims to make the photobook accessible to everyone. They repeatedly pointed out that handmade books, zines and self publishing are an important part of the publishing ecosystem, especially when access to capital and materials can be difficult, even in the big cities.
Wubin introduced the evening with a fascinating comparison between the Philippines and Indonesia, highlighting the fact that photobook publishing in the region can be very much an endeavour driven by cultural practitioners who see this as a way of getting their work out into the world, especially when it can be difficult to travel to see static, relatively short lived exhibitions of work.
Caron then took us on a deep dive into the publishing landscape of Indonesia, while Andi Ari spoke about his own works and personal journey. Both were keen to stress that education and workshops were key to building community, and for people to realise that making books themselves is possible.
They brought along a large number of Indonesian publications, including many handmade books from participants at their workshops. Discussing these, they brought up the idea that of primary importance is the story and the narrative – the photography then follows this. In fact they tell us that many hours are spent not talking about photography, but sharing and discussing the experience of day to day living. And so, after the talk, much browsing of books and conversation occurred…
… And I would have loved to purchase many of these books, but with a limited budget (and shelf space) frugality was the order of the day… although I did purchase Gueari dan Reformasih by Andi Ari Setiadi, and with the help of Google translate, may well be able to review it soon.
Andi and Caron are doing great things and we’ll definitely be catching up with Gueari Galeri in future. Watch this space. In the meantime, see what they are up to here.
Gueari Galeri
Established in 2014, Gueari Galeri is an independent photobook gallery and publisher based in Jakarta and Bekasi, Indonesia. Their core focus lies in utilising the power of photography and photobooks as tools for self-discovery and catalysts for positive change through the presentation of personal narratives. Over the years, Gueari Galeri has had the opportunities of representing Indonesia in numerous local and international photography festivals, like Arles Books Fair, Singapore International Photo Festival, Yangon Photo Festival, Jakarta International Photo Festival, and Hong Kong International Photo Festival.
Andi Ari Setiadi
Andi Ari Setiadi (1979) is a photobook artist and graphic designer who lives in Bekasi, Indonesia. He studied graphic design at Interstudi Jakarta (2002) and photojournalism at Galeri Foto Jurnalistik Antara (2004). In 2014 with Caron Toshiko, he founded Gueari Galeri, a photobook gallery and independent publisher based in Jakarta and Bekasi. In 2022, he launched his autophotobiography titled “Gueari: the Life of the Photobook Designer” in Arles Books Fair 2022. His works have been exhibited widely in Indonesia, and internationally in Fotografie Forum Frankfurt, Germany (2016), The Internasional Photography Biennale Grid, Amsterdam (2012) and Mapping Invisible City, Goethe Institut Jakarta-Singapore-Hanoi-Kuala Lumpur-Germany (2008).
Caron Toshiko
Caron Toshiko (1990) is a psychology practitioner with interests in innovation and gender issues. Since 2014, together with Andi Ari Setiadi, she has managed Gueari Galeri, an Indonesia-based photobook gallery and independent publisher that has published more than 30 photobook titles. With a Master’s Degree background in Health of Social Psychology, she recently completed her PgCert Therapeutic Photography course at Robert Gordon University and has been conducting therapeutic photography workshops as part of her research on the use of photography for young people’s self-exploration toward sexual and reproductive health and rights issues.
Zhuang Wubin
Zhuang Wubin is a writer who makes photographs, publications and exhibitions. He is interested in photography’s entanglements with modernity, colonialism, nationalism, “Chineseness” and the Cold War in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong. Zhuang received his PhD by Published Work (Research–Photography) from University of Westminster, London. His fourth book, Photography in Southeast Asia: A Survey (2016), published by NUS Press, received the J Dudley Johnston Award and Honorary Fellowship from the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain in 2019. Zhuang is a founding member of Writing Foto, a growing collection of writings on photography loosely directed at the imaginaries of South/east Asia.
Tom White has spent the last twenty years working in the fields of art, media and academia. He is a visual communications educator, as well as a photographer in the journalism, editorial, advocacy and commercial spaces. He designed and delivered the Photojournalism & Documentary curriculum for Yale-NUS College in Singapore, and has also taught at the International Center of Photography and Columbia University in New York, in addition to instructing and facilitating various workshops and community-based social programs. Tom’s current research includes a focus on the potential of immersive and interactive documentary methods, and the continued importance of visual and media literacy. He’s been based in Singapore since 2011.
