In the more than two years since the ongoing Sidoarjo mudflow disaster first hit, displacing thousands of villagers, it has remained a reality never fully spoken about in the public space.

But in contrast to most media portrayals, which show the horrible side of the disaster, a solo photo exhibition by freelance photographer Mamuk Ismantoro is displaying its human face.

In the exhibition at the Malang Meeting Point, which gathers 26 photos taken on different occasions over the past two years under the title "Dare to Live", Mamuk seeks to catalogue people's grief from their initial displacement until the protracted suspension of compensation payments by PT Lapindo Brantas Inc.

"Through these photos, I am trying to describe the mudflow victims' patience and courage in surviving the disaster as the environment dies around them," he told The Jakarta Post at the exhibition opening here at the weekend.

He said that through the exhibition he wanted to go beyond the horrible face of the disaster, "and that is my strength and makes me different from others. If I was following other photographers and media, my work would be similar to theirs."

Mamuk, a former employee of Radar Surabaya daily, said he never made any appointments with the victims to take their pictures, but rather chose to listen to their stories, to take what had not been already exposed in the media and use the photos to tell a different story.

Photographic art lover Agus Leonardus praised Mamuk's exhibition and its different theme, saying of a photo titled Pernikahan Seorang Perempuan Bernama Diana (The Marriage of a Woman named Diana) that the woman's decision to marry showed her courage to live despite the devastation.

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