A Kind of Magic by Juliana Tan

A Kind of Magic is a photographic journey through a city that no longer exists. Traversing between imagined and experienced realities, the images serve as a portal to a temporal landscape that has been irrevocably altered by external forces. Rooted in Juliana’s personal displacement from 1998 Indonesia, a period marked by significant societal unrest and racial tension, the work transforms personal narrative into a resonant exploration of universal themes: displacement, remembrance, and the enduring quest to reclaim our own story. The photographs are accompanied by two essays from Indonesian writer Sylvie Tanaga and artist Metta Setiandi. Similar to Juliana, both authors experienced this period of upheaval during their childhoods. Their distinct voices reflect on their own experiences and lasting impact.

About Juliana Tan

Juliana’s work is rooted in the ephemeral. Attuned to the fleeting nature of life, she photographs people and stories that reflect both the banal and pivotal phases of transformation across the landscape of Southeast Asia. Her sensitivity to shifting lights, hues and timing deftly informs her images as an intimate, yet infinite, dialogue between the photographer, her subject, and their observer — a single moment in time captured within the process of becoming.

Juliana’s instinct is underscored by her rapt yet gentle observation of the world around her. Honed by her training in photojournalism and filmmaking, she articulates scenes that speak to the expansive power of photography to move and affect. She infuses layers into her frame through the arrangement of seemingly mundane, impermanent motions and gestures of daily life — often overlooked details that heighten the emotional swell of a story.

In her portraiture work, Juliana’s inclination to illuminate the subtleties of growth and renewal allows her to weave together nuanced tales of aspirations, tribulations, and the silent revolutions that define personhood. She attends to her sitters — spanning everyday people, influential personalities, and world leaders — with dignity and grace, emblematic of the values she lives by.

Juliana has lived across the cosmopolitan canvases of Indonesia, Singapore, and the United States. She is drawn to the expansive diversity of Southeast Asia, a region unwavering in its rich history, complex cities, and resilient people. She is now based in her adopted home country, Singapore, and travels regularly for regional assignments.