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Dutch photographer Ted van der Hulst’s homage to an Indonesian dwarf community
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A unique exhibition and book titled Aristocrat, featuring outcasts of society, radiates light on the potency of the human spirit.
The 21st-century information age is awash with manipulative imagery. The smartphone technology revolution has granted the masses immediate access to the sphere of photography and our physical and digital worlds have become saturated with visual pollution. More than ever, it is essential to communicate through the power of the lens and positive narrative imagery.
International Dutch photographer and Bali resident Ted van der Hulst presents Aristocrats, which features 28 large-scale color portraits of marginalized Indonesians. It is open from Dec. 28, 2022 to Jan. 11, 2023, at the Agung Rai Museum of Art (ARMA), Ubud, Bali. The occasion marks the launching of his second book of the same title, a timely and significant investigation into the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.
Over four years, van der Hulst photographed the lives of a dwarf community living in Denpasar, capturing intimate, vibrant pictures. Employed in Entertainment Midget Boxing, a voyeuristic tourist entertainment show in Kuta, dressed in costumes the dwarfs engage in acrobatics, dance, boxing and comedy routines. Van der Hulst juxtaposes images of daily life with their professional personas. The results are touching, enlightening and beautiful.
The dwarfs have developed masks to shield their sensitivity from ridicule and bullying by others because of their appearance. Van der Hulst befriends them, gaining their trust and entering their world. Finally, they feel secure enough to shed their masks to reveal their rich characters, integrity and vulnerability. A chronicle of opposing worlds and the bittersweet human experience, his visual essay describes moments that fascinate and ignite our imagination. Scenes of the mundane, along with private and collective moments, are windows into the souls of these extraordinary people.
“From a young age, I saw images in my mind’s eye. I continued capturing these images as I went through life,” van der Hulst told The Jakarta Post. Born in 1982 in Utrecht, the Netherlands, from 2009-2012 he studied photography at the vocational photography school in Amsterdam, specializing in portrait and documentary photography. He then relocated to Jakarta and worked for MRA Printed Media, shooting for Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan and Esquire magazines. In 2013, van der Hulst committed himself to become a visual storyteller.
“There are so many fascinating street scenes in Indonesia. I am often inspired to photograph these momentary scenarios, capturing and recording them on paper. Nowadays, this is happening more and more. Around every corner, I see something interesting that I can use later in my work,” he said.
By chance, in 2017, van der Hulst came across the dwarfs packed in the back of an open vehicle amidst a traffic jam in Kerobokan, Bali. A conversation ensued. He learned the whereabouts of their destination and was invited to their show that evening. Van der Hulst and his wife attended the performance, entertaining a rowdy group of mainly Australian drinkers. Both shocking and thought-provoking, van der Hulst and his wife greatly admired the dwarf’s fortitude and invited them to lunch at their house. From then on, their relationships grew.
Van der Hulst’s 120-page hardcover book features more than 50 superb images portraying the lives of 17 people from throughout Indonesia who seek refuge within a small community. Indonesian cultural expert and author Bruce W. Carpenter’s accompanying essay reveals significant insights into the role of dwarf communities, not only in Indian Hindu mythology but also within the rise of powerful Hindu-Buddhist courts in Java and Bali. According to the Balinese dwarfs, hermaphrodites and people of blurred gender naturally possess magical powers and beliefs reinforced by folklore, legend, mythology and gossip.
“Comically dressed in the princely costumes of royal courtiers, these seemingly harmless clown figures were given a special license to violate royal etiquette, gossiping and criticizing with impunity to audiences’ laughter. They undoubtedly also engaged in social criticism poking fun at those who were laughing at them,” writes Carpenter.
He recounts the special relationship between dwarfs and the princess of the 14th-17th century Gelgel Dynasty of Klungkung. Dressed in bright silks and holding flags, ritual spears and weapons, dwarf retainers accompanied their lord as he traveled around the island, delighting his subjects with their antics.
In 2016, van der Hulst’s first visual essay, Dennis, a book and exhibition about an orphaned Sumatran orangutan rescued from the hands of an international animal trader, was held at Erasmus Huis, the cultural center of the Netherlands in Jakarta. In 2019, he showcased a collection of large-scale dog portraits in the "High Dogciety" exhibition at Edwin’s Gallery, Jakarta. De Kunstkring Art Gallery Jakarta presented a similar animal-themed exposé, "Jak-Cats," at De Kunstkring Art Gallery Jakarta. Recently van der Hulst exhibited an array of art photographs at 2022 Art Moments, Jakarta.
“My methodology is not spontaneous. I never stop someone on the street and ask to take a portrait immediately,” van der Hulst said. “I prefer to direct what I record by setting up the scenario, location and equipment.”
Van der Hulst is gifted with an acute sense of observation. A significant prerequisite for achieving his results is being patient with his subjects (humans and animals), contemplating their character of either vulnerability or imperfection.
“Recently, my objective has been to capture the outcasts of society. ‘Freaks’ is how they are unfortunately described. To me, their strong and resilient characters make them appear as aristocrats. I intend to lift them, bringing to light what I see within them, their unique and enormous life force,” he said.
Aristocrats
Ted van der Hulst
Dec. 28, 2022 - Jan. 11, 2023
Agung Rai Museum of Art (ARMA)
Jalan Raya, Pengosekan, Ubud, Bali.
Open daily: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Phone: (+62) (361) 976 659
