Aji Susanto Anom
River of Hades
[ EPF 2016 FINALIST ]
River of Hades is an mythological approach to document reality and construct a fictional historical record of real life experience. Inspired and captivated by the magic of the river mythologies from my city and another riverside that i had chance to encounters, from that experience I try to create fictional narratives based on the myth of the river of Hades.
In Greek mythology, the Underworld, may be the land of the dead, but it has living botanical items, like meadows with asphodel flowers, and geographical features. Among the most famous are the river of the Underworld that connect the Earth and the Underworld. That river is called River of Hades (Hades is the Ruler of the Underworld).
The surreal wilderness of the night in the riverside has always fascinated me. The riverside I walked through during the day, completely transformed after sundown. There was a dark side in it: the ghost-like creatures that I imagined wandering around in the deepest shadows. Because of my fear, I could never bring myself to approach these mysterious beings directly. They partook in unknown activities and so they shall remain.
Regardless, photography has given me the energy to enjoy the discomfort and experience of this nocturnal wild side. While confronting the darkness outside, I also redeemed the darkness within.
Short Bio
Aji Susanto Anom (b.1989) is a photographer based in Solo, Indonesia. He is now still studying in Indonesian Art Institutes of Yogyakarta (ISI Yogyakarta). His work is basically explores all his personal question about the darkness of his deeper life. He has published three photobooks independently called ‘Nothing Personal’, ‘Poison’ and ‘Recollecting Dreams’. In 2015, he was selected as one of the participant of ‘Angkor Photography Workshop’ under the mentor: Antoine D’Agata and Sohrab Hura. His works can be discovered through his featured publication on BURN Magazine, Lens Culture, The Invisible Photographer Asia, Top Photography Films, Monovisions, Dodho Magazines, Sidewalkers.Asia and more.
Very creative. I haven’t totally figured it out, but I can see the night world of the rivers you deal with is a frightening place for you. I hope having done this helps. My favorite of your several striking images is the bird shadows. Very mysterious image.
Sometimes, when I am dozing off, I have dreams that last but a second or two or even a split second but in which long spans of time can unfold. Today I had one that included a long, broad, river I know and it troubled me, because the river emptied into the ocean suddenly and squarely, with no delta – and the delta of this river is long and braided.
I wonder if your essay sparked this dream?
love much of the pictures….do not at all like the title…TOO dramatic (the title)….in fact, i’d suggest with the imagery as it is and the undercurrent of its story and emotion, definitely a non-dramatic title is needed…in order not to be overly=obvious or acutely literary…..
that said, would love to see it played out more and including being offset w/some humor too…
but, terrific job and memorable picture-conjuring…