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IN CONVERSATION WITH:
RYAN ANDREW

This interview is a part of our collaboration with Angkor Photo Festival, where we feature a group of participants from the latest edition of their workshops. Launched in 2005, the annual Angkor Photo Workshops in Siem Reap, Cambodia, is an intensive photography workshop for emerging Asian practitioners. It aims to provide an affordable, high quality learning experience while guiding each participant in developing their own distinctive artistic vision and voice. 

The 20th edition of their annual tuition-free workshop will be held from 7 – 16 February 2025 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. The workshop is now open for application until 12 August 2024 (Monday, Midnight, +7GMT). Find more information here. 



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Lê Nguyên Phương: Hello Ryan, thank you so much for your time! Knowing your background as a portrait photographer in Jakarta, it was absolutely stunning for me to see you pointing the lens inwards in your body of work Turn, made in Siem Reap. How did this process start? What were your initial feelings?

Ryan Andrew: Hi Phương, thanks for your interest! Initially, it started with my curiosity and admiration for drag queens. Seeing their unique performances on stage and confidence as entertainers sparked my desire to experience and understand what they possess as well.

During my visit in Siem Reap, I came up with an idea of collaborating with some queer individuals whom I just met. The first thing I did was confronting my fear by dressing up as a drag queen, and performing live while being watched. However, gradually, this change in character pushed my emotional side towards other things beyond my control that I had never imagined before. Since then, I started my days in Siem Reap by creating self-portrait works as a method of contemplation, and a personal journal to question the definitions of sexuality, body, and identity.

My feelings and intuition have somehow become the conductors of my journey, and I simply followed them. This brought me closure and allowed me to be the best version of myself. However, I want the viewers to see my photographs as a narrative that is close to them because, in reality, every individual struggles with the meaning of self and identity, which make us who we are, [being human]. In the process, I encountered a mix of emotions such as anxiety, loss, and loneliness, which I had never felt before. It was like revisiting bitter memories and things I couldn't receive.

LNP: Growing up as a queer person in a Southeast Asian family, I started making photographs of myself because I felt really disconnected to the Western canon of queer photography, eg. Nan Goldin, Robert Mapplethorpe, or whatever I saw on Tumblr circa 2015. Is there any artist you look up to that influences Turn?

RA: As a queer individual and Chinese descendant in Indonesia, I find it hard to speak about sexuality and feelings to my family since my teenage years. For the longest time, I have been trapped with expectations and conservative values where I grew up. As I learn more about photography, I realise that this platform has allowed me to explore my creativity and, at the same time, given me a safe space to express internal aspects, which I previously saw as a barrier. Looking back, I started my visual practices by shooting fashion editorials and bodies, and eventually expanding my interests in personal stories.

Since the beginning of my photography career, I have admired Ren Hang and Araki. Their works have played a significant role in shaping my sensibility and perspective, particularly in challenging the boundaries of norms. Therefore, Turn is an experimental exploration where I feel free and reconnected with the ever-changing flow of life.

LNP: Have you shared this project outside of the Angkor Photo Workshops? What was the reception like?

RA: So far, it has only been shared with my closest circle, including Arttaca members, and featured on the PhMuseum social media platform. But I’m currently continuing this project in the Indonesian landscape, together with fellow queer individuals who act as collaborators and share the same vision with me to raise awareness and needed voices. For me, the sociopolitical landscape in my conservative country is even more challenging. Ultimately, I believe that these challenges will not impose limitations but will instead make my project richer and more vibrant.

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Born in 1991, Ryan Andrew is a portraiture artist based in Jakarta, Indonesia. He pursued his passion for visual communication after a finance degree. Andrew's photographic work focuses on themes such as gender fluidity, intimacy and identity. Since 2020, he has a growing interest in representing a needed voice for the marginalised and repressed LGBTQ+ community in Indonesia. His work was showcased at the Jakarta International Photo festival (JIPFEST) and Rovinj Photo Days in 2023.

To see more work by Ryan Andrew, visit Website / Instagram




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