Goddess of Pantura (two young boys with motorcycle, looking toward concert stage)

Dayuputri uses a traditional documentary style to delve into the nuances of social layers and interactions in contemporary Javanese society. Her series The Goddess Pantura focuses on dangdut, a form of popular music unique to Indonesia. Her pictures offer insight into the social life surrounding this music, emphasizing the qualities of performance and stardom, the roles of gender and sexuality, the business behind the scenes, and music’s social catharsis. She often presents this work through zines or newspapers that include her photographs along with articles about the music, and that are in turn given out at different performances. The title Goddess Pantura refers to the way that the singer is idolized, which the artist likens to the goddess of the north coast of Java. (“Identity Crisis: Reflections on Public and Private Life in Contemporary Javanese Photography,” co-curated by research associate Brian Arnold and Ellen Avril and presented at the Johnson Museum January 21-June 11, 2017)