The inaugural Jakarta International Photo Festival (JIPFest) brings to the fore people’s struggle with and for identity.

Walk into the Rubanah art space in Menteng, Central Jakarta, one of these days and you’ll find a series of portraits of Mardijker people.

Mardijker, taken from the Sanskrit mahardika, means freedom. During Dutch rule in the 17th century, the term was used to describe Catholic descendants of freed slaves of Portuguese colonizers who settled in Batavia (now Jakarta).

The collection titled Mardijker Photo Studio is of the creations of noted visual artist Agan Harahap.

Agan says he created the fictive portraits in 2014 after being intrigued by the ambiguity of Mardijker identity, a people who were accepted neither by the Dutch nor indigenous Indonesians, then known as pribumi.

“I created fiction from the Mardijker while highlighting the state of our nation these days, where politics has turned some into a sort of xenophobic super-nationalism espousing of the pribumi race,” Agan told The Jakarta Post over the phone.

Punishers: A photo by Hotli Simanjuntak shows masked sharia officers in Aceh. Hotli’s Aceh, the Veranda of Mecca photo series is being displayed at a JIPFest group exhibition in Goethe Institut Jakarta. (Photo by Hotli Simanjuntak)

“Our nation these days is no different from the Mardijker, who were confused about their identity.”

Mardijker Photo Studio is part of an exhibition titled “Identity in Contemporary Photography”, displayed alongside the works of other photographers such as Christina Phan, Jordy Ramadhan and Ve Dhanito.

The exhibition is part of the Jakarta International Photo Festival (JIPFest).

Running from June 25 to July 9, JIPFest brings together more than 50 experts in the field to participate in various activities, ranging from photo exhibitions and panel discussions to urban photo tours.

Festival director Cristian Rahadiansyah told the Post that the festival was born from a conversation he had with photographer Ng Swan Ti of the Pannafoto Institute at the end of June last year.

“The background behind JIPFest was quite diverse, but there were three main objectives, the first was to create a space for photographers and the public to meet, share and collaborate. The second was more commercial, to create a sort of marketplace for photographers to sell their works and services as well as to expand their network.”

Sharp focus: Kelas Pagi Jakarta is one of a dozen photography communities invited to hold “fringe” events at JIPFest. (Photo by Kelas Pagi Jakarta)

“The third was a bit subjective and ambitious, as a way of promoting Indonesia in the international photography scene. This is why we invited a number of influential foreign experts, in the hope that they will notice our own talent,” he said.

“Identity” is chosen as the festival’s central theme to reflect Indonesia’s diverse cultures and ethnicities.

“[The theme is also] relevant in a contemporary context,” Cristian said. “In many countries, including Indonesia, identity politics is on the rise, as seen from the rise of right wing groups. JIPFest wants to respond to that through the photographers’ works and public dialogue.”

While the main venue of JIPFest is located in Taman Ismail Marzuki in Central Jakarta, many of the events are also held in dozens of public venues across the city.

“There are many excellent works that do not reach the public. By exhibiting in different venues, it means that there are many channels to reach a larger audience. The idea is simple, we don’t want the public to come to the works, but rather the works reach out to the public,” Cristian explained.

Packed: Street photographer and musician John Navid (front, right) strikes a pose with the participants of JIPFest’s Urban Photo Tour in Cikini, Central Jakarta, on June 29. (Courtesy of JIPFest)

Along with JIPFest’s main events and exhibitions, the festival will also host several “fringe” events, which are run by local photographic communities from Yogyakarta; Jombang, East Java; and Kupang in East Nusa Tenggara, among other places.

The “fringe” events, which do not necessarily have the same theme as JIPFest, range from workshops on self-love through portraits to discussions on photo archiving.

“JIPFest strives to be a communal platform for all. There are a lot of communities and organizations across the country, and we want JIPFest to be a space to promote, exhibit and hold events,” Cristian said, adding that the events were free of charge.

“I hope that once they return from Jakarta, they will be inspired to create breakthroughs in their hometowns, including photography festivals. This is why in the beginning I chose the name ‘Jakarta International Photo Festival’ instead of ‘Indonesia International Photo Festival’, along with the fact that the latter is unwieldy when shortened.”