In Ascension, Yiannis Hadjiaslanis captures the stark majesty of Mount Bromo, a landscape that appears otherworldly in its austere beauty.
The photographs present a mesmerizing palette of ash and sand, a visual narrative of grey hues that evoke the ancient and ongoing tumult of this sacred terrain. Through Hadjiaslanis' lens, the mountain is not just a geological feature but a living, breathing entity—a vessel of divine power and myth. The series juxtaposes the serene yet volatile nature of the volcano, inviting viewers to contemplate the forces that have shaped, and continue to shape, this corner of the Earth.
Hadjiaslanis, known for his work across the Mediterranean and African continents, approaches Mount Bromo with a similar sensibility, deeply attuned to the historical and mythological layers embedded in the landscape. The Tantu Panggeleran, a 15th-century Javanese scripture, serves as a spiritual framework for this project, linking the physical landscape with the divine narrative of Vishnu and Brahma. The tale of the gods stabilizing Java by anchoring it with a fragment of a holy mountain from India finds a poignant resonance in Hadjiaslanis' images, where the scattered volcanic rocks and the austere 'Sea of Sand' seem to whisper of cosmic events long past.
The Tengger caldera, with Bromo at its heart, is depicted as a sacred space where natural elements and human reverence coexist. The shrines and altars made from volcanic debris serve as a testament to the local people's spiritual connection with the land. Hadjiaslanis captures these structures in a way that emphasizes their fragility against the vast, ever-changing backdrop of the volcanic desert. The interplay between the enduring and the ephemeral is central to Ascension, highlighting the tension between creation and destruction, continuity and change.
In documenting this extraordinary landscape, Hadjiaslanis not only reveals the raw, physical beauty of Mount Bromo but also delves into its spiritual and cultural significance. His images are a meditation on the relationship between humans and the earth, reflecting on how myth, nature, and time intertwine to shape the world we inhabit.
