Nomadism
Guillaume Holzer
2019 — Indonesia
About this series
“In the winding paths of sparkling waters and endless horizons, I found myself face to face with these rebellious people who defy established norms. Their lives are a chaotic dance, punctuated by resistance, fluidity, and adaptability. They are the strangers of this world, moving without attachments or fixed identities.”
This series is an exploration of nomadism and freedom, synthesizing eight years of life in Indonesia with the “sea nomads.” During this time, I devoted myself to coral conservation alongside these communities.
In exploring nomadism through the histories of the Bajau and Bugis cultures, this work explores the relationship between place, mobility, and identity. I delve into the concept of deterritorialization and the components of identity and territory.
Deterritorialization refers to the weakening of ties between culture and place, signifying the removal of cultural subjects and objects from a specific location in space and time. This concept suggests that certain cultural aspects transcend territorial boundaries in a world where everything is in motion.
Nomadism symbolizes both physical and intellectual freedom—the process of liberation from territorial or ideological constraints. It represents resistance to being rooted and an openness to fluidity and transformation. Once freed, the nomad can settle elsewhere, adopt new norms, and forge new relationships with the environment. However, this “reterritorialization” is temporary; it enables movement and continuous change, and in a way, it condemns the nomad to be perpetually free.
Photographer: Guillaume Holzer
Nationality: French
Based in: Paris, France
Website: gholzer.com
Instagram: @gholzer_
After studying economics in Wales, I traveled for 13 years and worked in different countries with tribal communities such as the First Nations in British Columbia, the Bajau in the Komodo Archipelago, and the Bugis too. In 2010, I founded an NGO, Coral Guardian, dedicated to the conservation of coral reefs. During these years, I became a photographer to document the work of my NGO for reports intended for donors. In 2019, I chose to continue this documentary work, seeking the contemporary expression of the transformation of our world through my images.
When I returned, I joined a photographic laboratory where I learned the basics of film development. The idea of making a book emerged and I then began to work with Eric Guglielmi. Unfortunately, he died shortly after. His absence made me abandon the project for two years. However, my research during this period pushed me towards ancient processes, notably gum dichromate. At the time of my work within my NGO, my main mission was to raise awareness among coastal communities about the ecological disasters caused by dynamite fishing and potassium fishing. Since development with bichromated gum requires potassium dichromate, it seemed obvious to me to use this process!
This singular process, particularly through the damage it inflicts on the image, reflected their disrupted and disrupted culture. tarnished by the forces of modernism, despite a strong identity built in the movement. Finally, the toxicity of their fishing methods appeared, impalpable, in my photographs, like a common thread linking their history and mine.
I decided to make a handmade artist’s book entitled Territoire Nomade.
This series has been awarded several prestigious prizes such as the Hariban Award from Atelier Benrido in Kyoto. He was also a finalist for the Rencontres de Boulogne Billancourt 2023 and the Mentor Prize 2024. “Territoire Nomade” is currently in the running for the Dummy Award 2024 and has joined the collection of the PhotoBook museum in Cologne.