behind the veil
Peter Amos Panoa
This exhibition is part of the Upper Hutt International
Festival being held at Expressions Arts and Entertainment
Centre. In this exhibition the artist has presented
us with intimate images of Indonesia typically unseen
through mass media. He wants us to see, to look at,
the people of Indonesia behind the veil of the news
headlines Indonesia has been featured in.
These photographs and films by Peter Amos Panoa reflect
his passion for and intimate relationship with the
country and people of Indonesia. We see in this work
Panoa not only as an artist but also as a man who has
a deep relationship with the people and places he has
captured. Through these images he celebrates the women,
their arts, the landscape and the hard working people
of Indonesia. His ability to realise the moment and
to secure that perfect image is what we now have here
to enjoy.
The films Topeng Losari and Becak gives us a glimpse
at cultural traditions such as dance and the political
atmosphere of the past. In Topeng Losari directed by
Monica Wulff with Panoa as videographer we see dance
excerpts of the Topeng (mask) dance. Becak directed,
produced, written and videographed by Panoa is a collage
of street scenes and social commentary from people
talking about past political events.
Panoa is a cinematographer by trade; his eyes are
trained to look for that perfect composition. He has
worked on many films during the past five years including
work with directors Giovanna Maddalena, Zach Bagma,
Deborah Pollard, Annemarie Nelson and Scott Herford;
and production companies such as Fate Productions and
electric Elephant Productions. He is a proud New Zealander
with Samoan parents, who in 1997 went to Indonesia
to work on a documentary for six months, but ended
up returning over another four years. During this time
he was captivated, surprised, in awe and humbled by
his experiences in Java.
The title of the exhibition alludes to Panoa’s
objective. To see behind the veil of the mass media
and the veil many of the women have to wear. By offering
us the opportunity to see these images he reveals to
us the beauty and colours of this country, Indonesia.
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