In the month of June, Zontiga held a workshop titled Making an Artist's Photobook with Gueari Galeri. It was a 4-day long photobook-making workshop, held in collaboration with Gueari Galeri, supported by Photobook Club Kuala Lumpur and Canon Malaysia, to nurture the culture of photobook-making, encouraging and guiding photographers in turning their works into photobooks that tell their personal story.

Gueari Galeri (2014) is a photobook gallery and independent publisher based in Jakarta and Bekasi, Indonesia. With their tagline being “a personal story for you”, Gueari Galeri by presenting one’s personal story through the use of photography and photobooks, it is a great means for self-exploration, empowerment and agents of change.

Since 2015, Gueari Galeri have been actively conducting photobook classes to facilitate participants in developing their personal stories through the medium of photobooks as a form of education to improve photobook literacy. They have held photobook discussions in various regions in Indonesia and participated several times in local and international photography festivals such as Arles Books Fair, Hong Kong International Photo Festival, Jakarta International Photo Festival, Singapore International Photo Festival and Yangon Photo Festival.

Now, they have just completed a 4-day intensive Photobook Making Class (with an additional 1 day requested by the participants) that explored compelling personal stories from our 6 participants, 4 Malaysians and 2 Indonesians. They examined the stories and ideas for photobooks and each participant successfully produced a physical photobook dummy.

On the final day of the workshop, participants are required to do a public sharing of their product, the photobook dummy, the thought process during the making of photobook as well as what they have learnt after experiencing the workshop. Through the public sharing, it is inevitable that Gueari Galeri and Zontiga had given each participant a safe space to dig deep and pour their hearts out into their photobooks. From battling with mental unstability, dealing with childhood traumas, to reminiscing a loved one who passed away, it was indeed a very vulnerable and sentimental space altogether. Ultimately, new friendships made, and the coming together of photography community across borders is what made this workshop a successful one.