Photography in Southeast Asia: a survey

Abstract

'Photography in Southeast Asia: A Survey' is a comprehensive attempt to map the emergence and trajectories of photographic practices in Southeast Asia. The narrative begins in the colonial era, at the point when the transfer of photographic technology occurred between visiting practitioners and local photographers. Illustrated with some 200 photographs, and with individual chapters dedicated to the countries of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, The Philippines and Vietnam, the book ranges from the immediate postwar era to present day, focusing on photographers who demonstrate strong agency and autonomy in their practice. The relationship between art and photography, which has been defined very narrowly over the decades, is re-examined in the process. Photography also offers an entry point into the cultural and social practices of the region, and a prism into the personal desires and creative decisions of its practitioners.