By Willy Wilson | Aug 10, 2009
The Urban Angel: Erna Dyanty
“A product of contemporary art, culture, economics and social conditions that are the result of the unique features of late 20th century and early 21st century life.Among these features are globalization, consumerism, the fragmentation of authority, and the commoditization of knowledge. Not forgetting a Jawa heritage somewhere in between.”
Looking at her self-description on MySpace above, one can immediately sense Erna Dyanty’s artistic and urban DNA.
Young Erna started her career as a rhythmic gymnastic coach for five years. But she always had a way with art, although her academic background (she studied Information Management in UiTM) couldn’t be further from the art world. Her interest in art was further nurtured when she started working in Taksu Gallery and Islamic Art Museum. It was during this period that she met her favourite photographer, Alex Moh, who later inspired and encouraged her to pursue a career as a photographer.
Erna currently works as an exhibition manager at Valentine Willie gallery. In her free time, she can be seen walking around KL with her camera, taking photographs of the city’s landscapes.
For her, a camera is almost like a time machine and the image captured is frozen within that particular second. The idea to capture circumstances within a moment thrills her.
Erna recently became the talk of the town when her sophisticated photography works were colossally displayed at Alexis Bistro, encompassing the trendy joint’s attempt to bring about cozy and chic ambience. The series of black & white photographs of cityscapes continue to captivate everyone in KL.
Only a few people are lucky enough to make a living out of a hobby.
That’s a lucky factor, but I think passion and determination are bigger factors when deciding a matter like this. As for me, I am a very visual person and I like to tell stories. However, I am not very good at explaining my thoughts in text or speech, hence, photography serves as my explanation tool.
What are the dominant themes in your work?
Urban cityscape, space and structure were very dominant in my last work. I have to say I love how a photograph can capture different human emotions projected through the structure of buildings and space. There is always this beautiful connection between the city and the people living in it.
How would you describe your photography work?
Urban, modern and minimal. Some people say my photographs exude loneliness, which probably is quite true considering I have never really worked with busy objects.
Everyone is still talking about the photographs hung on Alexis’ walls, which were done by you. Were you commissioned to do the job?
No, I was not. The series of photographs you see in Alexis were bought by the management when I put them for sale during an exhibition last year. I guess the design concept of the newly renovated Alexis goes very well with my photographs because like Alexis’ image, this series of photographs are very urban; they speak modern volume and cosmopolitan atmosphere, which is what Alexis is all about.
From your work, you seem very fond of Kuala Lumpur’s architecture.
It is the cultural essence and emotions of the city that I was trying to capture with my photographs. This body of work pays homage to the familiar architecture and landscape of our nation's capital. In a deeper sense, these photographs represent the dynamics of KL on many levels; political, social and economical.
Continue Your Reading: More Q&A session with Erna Dyanty »
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