Werknemers in een verpakkingsloods van suikerfabriek Boedoeran in Sidoarjo op Java c. 1925 - 1930

This photograph, taken by Isken, captures workers in a sugar factory warehouse in Java. It’s all about texture and tone, a whole process of figuring out how light hits the forms of the figures and sacks of sugar. Look at the sacks themselves. They stand together in regimented lines. The texture of the bags stands in stark contrast to the smoothness of the workers’ skin. I’m drawn to the tonal range, which moves from the dark carriages to the pale walls of the warehouse. The sacks almost vibrate, and the movement of the workers carrying the heavy loads is subtly communicated. It's about the artist finding their way through observation, constructing the image bit by bit through the greyscale. The scene reminds me of the photographs of Allan Sekula. Both artists are interested in the relationship between labor, capital, and the human condition. It’s a photograph that lingers, inviting us to contemplate the complex relationship between industry and the people who sustain it.