"In 2022, I returned to my birthplace to create a photo series called Angan-Angan Harsa. The images portray my family, friends, and people from the local community, capturing moments of joy within the familiar landscapes of Bengkulu, a province on the southwest coast of Sumatra, Indonesia.

"Upon landing in Bengkulu, my grandmother and uncle were already waiting for me at the airport. On the way to my grandmother’s house, we passed a dormitory where Muslim children live and study, with a football field stretching out across from it. A nearby mosque remained unfinished, as if time had barely passed since my childhood visits, whilst my grandmother's neighbourhood was almost unchanged. 

"After dropping off my things, this picture of the football field was one of the first photographs I made. I stayed there for a while to take it all in. The sun soon began to set, casting a warm golden hue across the field. More children started to arrive, coming back from school or from Quran recitals at the mosque. 

"For me, this image holds a strong sense of place: the late-afternoon light, the kids running barefoot, the uneven grass. It was the perfect reintroduction to a world that once felt so familiar."