A Photographer organization under the Pekanbaru chapter of the Indonesian Photojournalists Association (PFI) are holding a photography exhibition titled “The Bittersweetness of Riau”, which presents a marriage of photojournalism and the creative industry of waste materials.
This exhibition involves 54 photographic works of 16 photographers presented in a unique atmosphere in Jalan Pahlawan Kerja No. 247, Marpoyan Damai, Pekanbaru. The exhibition is set to open on the 14th of February and will be attended by Riau interim Governor Arsyadjuliandi (Andi) Rachman.
PT Asian Agri, one of the private sector players for supporting the exhibition, was also present for the event. As one of the event sponsors, General Manager-Freddy Widjaya said, “We support the creativity of Indonesian young generations. We hope Indonesian young generations can continuously improve and develop their potencies independently. Country and businesses should fully support so their talents can be developed,” said Freddy.
“The process in creating those photos sometimes is never unveiled, and the hard work of photojournalists is only on the sidelines in-between assignments. In fact, producing a single photo often entails the photojournalist being deeply involved in a risky situation, sometimes even risking their lives,” he stated.
He explained the title of the exhibition,”The Bittersweetness of Riau” was because the 54 photos on display is considered to represent achievements and problems there. The photos are categorized as spot news, environment, arts and entertainment and general interest.
“Documenting our beloved Riau’s journey isn’t just clicking the shutter-release button. All our emotions spill over into paths of time and light. Emotions become images engraved in history recorded through the eyes of a photojournalist,” he stated.
PFI Pekanbaru will partner with Sapulidi Center for the exhibition, a community forum made up of creative youth. He feels that Sapulidi Center consistently encourages the young generation to develop their talents and instills the spirit of entrepreneurship in them. Due to that, the majority of the crafts in the exhibitions are from recycled waste products such as timber,bamboo and plastic waste. Some of the handicrafts featured are eggshell frames and flower vases from timber waste.
“This non-profit activity is expected to drive even more creative activities to advance the creative independent youth-based creative industry,” he said.
