I drowned when I was a child, and often the moment when I was drowning still lingers in my head. That fear draws me to keep visiting different bodies of water in my hometown, Jakarta, where I have lived for years. I observed how people in the city also have other relationships with water and how water has a big part in their lives; although it can be harmful sometimes, they always have a way of making a life around the water. Seeing them somehow made me feel braver.
Biography
Danu Izra Mahendra graduated with an architecture degree and has been working as a designer. He pursues photography as a medium to channel his interest in the personal relationship between a society with its surrounding places. Living in Jakarta inspired him to observe the city’s wide variety of social and physical conditions through his personal work, which is tied to the coastal area. For these past few years, he studied visual storytelling by joining workshops, online discussions, and volunteering experience. In 2021, his work on coastal Jakarta got nominated for the regional LOBA Award, Newcomer Category.
IG: @dizramahendra