The Photos of Roslan Rahman: Black Miners

Roslan Rahman is a documentary photographer with a very straightforward social agenda: his personages belong to the world of the most impoverished groups in some Asian countries, like illegal immigrants in Malaysia, like victims of the earthquake in Padang, like lumpen of Jakarta or Siem Reap, and so on. It is a universe of sadness and sorrows. It is, in the same time, a human universe, and joy, and beauty are genuine in human nature. And Roslan Rahman has this touching sensibility, to discover the joy and the beauty in the sordid, and to render them to us in unforgettable images.














(The Photos of Roslan Rahman)

The Photos of Roslan Rahman: The Invisibles of Siem Reap

Says Roslan Rahman, Siem Reap is the only place besides Phnom Penh with fastest growing rates due to the floods of tourist who come to see the wonder of the world, Angkor Wat. But in the chaos of the so called development, there is a lot of people whose their presence in a way has been forgotten, although they are one of the main player in the whole process of building up the development. They're The Invisibles.


And, as always, Roslan Rahman creates incredible photos: such relevance, poignancy, and beauty, it's unbelievable.







(The Photos of Roslan Rahman)

The Photos of Roslan Rahman: Halal

For non-Muslims the word Halal designates what's allowed to eat in Islam. Actually Halal means more: any object or action permissible according to Sharia.

Malaysia offers a contrasting example. Many Europeans or Americans view it as a strong Islamic country, while its presence in the global economy is also strong.



So, is it Malaysia conservative or modern? Is it Halal or secular? Can it be both in the same time? Roslan Rahman is trying to find the answer for us, through his photos.


It is not an easy answer, as each photo captures a fact of life; and any fact of life is, beyond any Islamic or secular interpretation, just that, a fact of life.


And regardless country, or religion, traditional or modern values, any human is like this man in the ocean; facing in any moment the immensity of things beyond his understanding.









(The Photos of Roslan Rahman)

The Photos of Roslan Rahman: Bhakti in Bali

Roslan Rahman made these photographs on the island of Bali: Hinduism is practiced by a small minority in Indonesia, while the largest Indonesian Hindu community is located in Bali (more than 90% of the population there).



Now, what is Bhakti? The short answer would be that Bhakti is a form of collective devotion, but it means slightly different things for different branches of Hinduism. Anyway, any attempt to translate this word from Devanāgarī looses some of its meaning.



(The Photos of Roslan Rahman)

The Photos of Roslan Rahman: Bars and Malls in Kuala Lumpur

The images belong to Roslan Rahman: he made these photos for NY Times. An article there, signed by Naomi Lindt, who keeps kind of a travelogue: his visit to Kuala Lumpur follows a trip to Hanoi in April, and one to Siem Reap in Cambodia, December last year.

Sky Bar

Sky Bar is on the 33rd floor of the Traders Hotel. The space is dominated by a pool; the windows offer a great view of the Petronas Towers, the tallest twin buildings in the world.

No Black Tie Club

No Black Tie offers a casual spot for very sophisticated people. It's a jazz club and Japanese gastro bar, hosting beside jazz cabaret performances and poetry nights.

Kuala Lumpur is a Mall Town

Kuala Lumpur is, like all Asian cities that exploded in modernity, a mall town, and many places of note are located in malls, like Enak KL (a restaurant for Malayan cuisine lovers), placed in Starhill Gallery. I was many times at the Pentagon City Mall, near Washington, and I would say that Starhill Gallery looks more impressive. Is that because of the gorgeous photo of Roslan Rahman? This guy knows so well to catch the perfect angles!

Starhill Gallery

And the last image for this post: Sungei Wang Plaza, the teenagers' mecca. A universe that calls in mind some movies by Wong Kar-Wai, like Chungking Express, or Fallen Angels.

Sungei Wang Plaza

But the movie that comes to mind more is maybe Gone Shoppping, made by the Singaporean Li Lin-Wee. It's weird: actually I didn't see it, as it was screened in DC only once, on a Friday evening, within a festival of Singaporean movies at Freer Gallery; and I miss it!

Well, my history of Gone Shopping deserves another post:)

(The Photos of Roslan Rahman)

The Photos of Roslan Rahman: Kashmir

Isn't it gorgeous?

Roslan Rahman: it is illegal in India to exclude all or part of Kashmir in a map; it is also illegal in Pakistan not to include the state of Jammu and Kashmir as disputed territory, as permitted by the UN.








(The Photos of Roslan Rahman)

The Photos of Roslan Rahman: Muslim Punk in Kuala Lumpur

Roslan Rahman is a documentary photographer who sometimes forgets - happily - about the universe he's studying, as he discovers the beauty of a small detail. In such moments he creates masterpieces.





(The Photos of Roslan Rahman)

The Photos of Roslan Rahman

Roslan Rahman is a young photojournalist (26 years), based in Kuala Lumpur and interested to understand, through his photography, what is it about his country and his region: not easy task - a region full of contrasts, offering in each moment a different synthesis. It's Islam, and modernity, and effort to integrate in the Western values, and pride in conserving traditions, and sudden bursts of violence, a success story, and huge poverty; it is a mix of cultures, Islamic, Chinese, Indian (by the way, here are the languages Roslan Rahman is speaking: English, Bahasa Malay/Indonesian, Hokkien with a little bit of Mandarin, French, Tamil, Arabic).

• Muslim Punk in Kuala Lumpur
• Kashmir
• Bars and Malls in Kuala Lumpur
• Bhakti in Bali
• Halal
• The Invisibles of Siem Reap
• Black Miners
  

(Blogosphere)