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Forever Antara
Oscar Matuloh: JP/Aruna HarjaniAs the lights went out in the historical Antara building in Pasar Baru, Oscar Motuloh, the director of the state news agency’s photography division was seated inside his office
Oscar Matuloh: JP/Aruna Harjani
As the lights went out in the historical Antara building in Pasar Baru, Oscar Motuloh, the director of the state news agency’s photography division was seated inside his office.
Galeri Antara is what it is as a result of Oscar’s dream to have the world see photographs in a
different light.
His inamorata for the Galeri Antara lies in the fact that it was in this building that the news of President Sukarno’s declaration of independence was first announced.
President Sukarno was at the Tugu Proklamasi to proclaim independence, but the imperial Japanese blocked all radio signals to prevent people from hearing the declaration.
The news was however successfully sent through Morse code to Antara, who broadcast the news to the world. Because of its essential role in perhaps the most important event in the history of the modern Indonesian nation state, the façade of the agency’s white building has been carefully preserved.
After that, Antara gained a reputation as a symbol for press freedom. In 1987, the Antara news division moved to a new building, leaving behind a passive photography department.
It was 1992 when Oscar was offered the reigns of Antara’s photography department. Although he was a reporter at the time, he took the offer and began to study photography. While Antara was reputed for its ability to supply reliable information to newspapers, its photography department was not yet at the same level.
So, when Oscar took over, he re-examined the importance of photographs in the press. When he joined the division, the agency supplied photographs to just a handful of newspapers; seventeen years later, the Antara agency, a non-profit government institution, supplies pictures to over a hundred newspapers all over Indonesia.
The Galeri Antara has two divisions: the Antara Indonesia Press Photo Agency (which supplies photographs to newspapers) and the GFJA (Antara Gallery for Photojournalism) which schools up-and-coming photojournalists.
Oscar says that any picture taken has a story. One may read articles or stories in newspapers or magazines but a picture satisfies a reader’s imagination.
A reader who opens his newspaper in the morning will look at the pictures on top of the headline first, and then read the news. Can you imagine a newspaper without a picture? It’s like having food without salt.
Given the responsibility of continuing the work of his colleagues at the Galeri, Oscar started organizing workshops through the GFJA. When he started they were just a few photographers taking pictures for Antara; today there are 150 photographers all over the country.
A handful of former students of the workshop have become free lance photographers or stringers, supplying Antara with pictures.
A photographer who contributes to Antara is paid between Rp 50,000 (US$5) and Rp 500,000 per picture, depending on exclusivity and quality.
This pails in comparison to their foreign counter parts. In Japan, a photographer is paid a minimum of $1,500 a month.
This difference can be attributed to the fact that a minimum of 1 million copies of Japanese newspapers are printed every day; as high as 11 million copies can be printed.
But in Indonesia, the biggest selling newspaper sells only 500,000 per day.
“In our country, a minimum of two people read one copy of a newspaper.”
A good journalistic photographer is trained to portray the essence of the issue in question using the right camera techniques. With all the technical skill they put into their pictures and the lengths they have to go, risking their lives at times, they are not valued.
The income of a press photographer is much less than that of a commercial photographer, despite their struggle to catch the right momentum!
Appreciation for art in Indonesia is also not so widespread. In the Western countries any form of art has its price.
“This is the reason why I have organized workshops for the students so that they have an opportunity to exhibit their pictures at the end of the workshops and so that the public can learn how to appreciate this work.”
This is also the reason why the first floor gallery has been turned into a photo museum, for the public to have the opportunity to see good art for free. “I want everyone to see the pictures and realize that it doesn’t just take one click to take a photograph.
It takes research, discussions, timing and knowledge of the art of composing a frame to come up
with a good, eye-catching photograph; it is not as simple as just one click. In addition it is also the thoughts and the decisive moments combined”.
Oscar adds that the students of today are better photographers compared to his days because they have better points of reference thanks to the internet.
“During our days, we had to rely on books on photography, if they were available.
There were hardly any demonstrations for us to take pictures of. But after the new reform the situation has become dynamic thus giving an opportunity for a photographer to tackle more issues.” Oscar’s pictures have also been featured in several exhibitions abroad.
He also says that photography allows a passionate photographer to gives the observer an opportunity to go beyond the imagination.
“A photograph is a bridge between the mind and the heart. It highlights the atmosphere of life instantly and is not something made up”. For the media it is a powerful tool. It is a language, even for the illiterate.
“A photographer should be treated and valued the same way as a writer. Because in the future people will have less time to read, but will have more time to take a peek at a photograph, which can say it all.”
