Scheidend resident F.J. Junius zittend op de zo juist onthulde 'Junius-bank' in Tandjongkarang Possibly 1933 - 1935

This small photograph shows Resident F.J. Junius seated on the ‘Junius-bank’ in Tandjongkarang. It’s an interesting snapshot into a particular time, and when I look at the subtle tones, the way light falls across the stone and the subject's white uniform, I am reminded that artmaking is always a process of selection. The texture is rich, the result of so many different tones, and it is so detailed you can see the pattern of stone, the detail of the trees, and the expression of the seated man. The photograph invites us to think about colonial power, and how someone like Junius would want to be seen. It is also about memory, what we choose to remember, and how these small, intimate images can open onto whole worlds. This image reminds me a little of Gerhard Richter’s black and white paintings, works that are similarly concerned with the relationship between photography and memory, and with the difficulty of arriving at any fixed meaning.