Lucas Leo Catalano

Photographer
 
Agama Tirtha
Public Project
Agama Tirtha
Copyright Lucas Leo Catalano 2024
Updated Dec 2024
Location Bali
Topics Bali, Documentary, Indonesia, Photography, Post-Colonialism, Tourism
Summary
The series Agama Tirtha is a portrait of the Balinese identity taken from a perspective that is sceptical of there being an "authentic" Bali today. Challenging the outdated visual identity of Bali that has become synonymous with tourism propaganda and post-colonial vanity. Instead portraying a multicultural and multinational identity that is tied together by an omnipresent element in Bali - water. A ubiquitous force that both enriches and challenges every life in a unique way.

The series Agama Tirtha is a portrait of the Balinese identity taken from a perspective that is sceptical of there being an "authentic" Bali today. Challenging the outdated visual identity of Bali that has become synonymous with tourism propaganda and post-colonial vanity. Instead portraying a multicultural and multinational identity that is tied together by an omnipresent element in Bali - water. A ubiquitous force that both enriches and challenges every life in a unique way. A common thread that can be traced back to the historical inhabitants, who, to coexist with the nature of living in the region, created the Religion of Water, Agama Tirtha. A thread of blessings and curses that continues in today's globalised and cosmopolitan communities, each having to adapt to life in the wet tropics. The photographs in Agama Tirtha illustrate that identity does not just come from birth place, heritage, and tradition, but also from shared experience; an ineffable feeling uniquely Balinese that exists between tropical downpours, agrarian flooding, chlorinated hotel pools, sea salt rash from surfboards, weathered independence monuments, and grand water purification ceremonies.

- Sovereign Art Foundation Asian Art Prize nominee 2025
- Australian Photography Awards Documentary category Finalist 2024
- B&W International Photography Awards Honourable Mention 2024

Register your interest for the book's release in late 2025
Serial Agama Tirtha merupakan potret identitas masyarakat Bali yang diambil dari sudut pandang skeptis terhadap keberadaan Bali yang “asli” saat ini. Menantang identitas visual Bali yang sudah ketinggalan zaman dan identik dengan propaganda pariwisata dan kesombongan pasca-kolonial. Alih-alih menggambarkan identitas multikultural dan multinasional yang diikat oleh elemen yang ada di mana-mana di Bali – air. Kekuatan yang ada di mana-mana yang memperkaya dan menantang setiap kehidupan dengan cara yang unik. Benang merah yang dapat ditelusuri kembali ke sejarah penduduknya, yang untuk hidup berdampingan dengan alam yang hidup di wilayah tersebut, menciptakan Agama Air, Agama Tirtha. Rangkaian berkah dan kutukan yang terus berlanjut di komunitas global dan kosmopolitan saat ini, yang masing-masing harus beradaptasi dengan kehidupan di daerah tropis basah. Foto-foto dalam Agama Tirtha menggambarkan bahwa identitas tidak hanya berasal dari tempat lahir, warisan, dan tradisi, tetapi juga dari pengalaman bersama; sebuah perasaan khas Bali yang tak terlukiskan yang muncul di antara hujan tropis, banjir agraris, kolam hotel yang mengandung klorin, percikan garam laut dari papan selancar, monumen kemerdekaan yang lapuk, dan upacara penjernihan air yang megah.

- Sovereign Art Foundation Asian Art Prize nominee 2025
- Australian Photography Awards Documentary category Finalist 2024
- B&W International Photography Awards Honourable Mention 2024

Register your interest for the book's release in late 2025
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