It’s been a while since I photographed for Monocle. Teaming up with James Chambers, I traveled to Labuan Bajo (the so-called new Bali) in order to join Indonesian President Joko Widodo on his offical trip last July. James would have an exclusive interview with the president, talking about his on-going second term and also his legacies once he stepped down from the office in two years time.
This was my forth time meeting and photographing the president. To my surprise, the protocols were much more strict than ever (because of the on-going pandemic and possibly for the recent happening with Shinzo Abe in Japan). Apart from the intimate time spent onboard the phinisi schooner, it was very difficult to get close to the president. Glad that the images somehow turned out quite well. Below are the publication in Monocle No.156, September 2022.
Writer: James Chambers
Photo Editor: Matthew Beaman
