Biak Photo Exhibition, Competition & Workshop: The Biggest & Surprising

Photo by Alit Saryono

Last week, Biak—an island in the Northern part of Papua—hosted a series of photography events. Organized by Komunitas Bersama (Kobe) Biak, the string of events covered photo exhibition, photo competition, and workshop.

Held at the lobby of Aerotel Irian Hotel, the photo exhibition was the first event to start the whole string. Opened for public from March 20 to March 24, the exhibition was attended by 26 photographers with 80 photos depicting Biak’s landscape and people—all photos were taken in Biak during the last year.

The photo competition came next after the exhibition; it was addressed for students. The result was a surprise as local students came up with interesting ideas in their early stage of photography.

Photo by Alit Saryono

“This is the biggest photography exhibition and the first photography workshop ever held in Biak,” said Ilias Irawan, the leader of Kobe Biak as well as chairman of the committee. Ilias added, “By inviting and gathering photography enthusiasts in Biak and the surroundings, the string of events aimed to recruit new members to join Kobe.”

Closing the string of events, on March 24 was a photography workshop. Kristupa Saragih, founder of Fotografer.net (FN), conducted the workshop, which was attended by 50 participants from Biak, Jayapura, and nearby regions.