Finalist: Joshua Irwandi, freelance photographer, National Geographic
Nominated Work
The body of a suspected coronavirus victim, wrapped in yellow infectious waste plastic bags and wrappers, lies on the patient's deathbed awaiting a body bag in a hospital in Indonesia. The wrapping of the patient, which takes two nurses a full hour to complete through three layers of plastic and nine times of disinfection, is intended to suppress the spread of coronavirus. As mandated by the Indonesian Ministry of Health, the wrapping of the body is a standard procedure for every suspected, comorbid, and positive confirmed COVID-19 deaths. This process continues until today. As is the case with most victims, family members were not allowed to say goodbye. After the image was published by National Geographic, the image sparked denial and uproar across social media. Many who saw the image declared it to be a set up intended to spread fear. By the end of the year, 563 medical workers in Indonesia have perished due to the pandemic, with the country’s coronavirus toll reaching over 800,000 cases and 20,000 deaths. (April 18, 2020)
Biography
Joshua Irwandi (b. 1991) is a freelance documentary photographer based in Jakarta, Indonesia. His work has been featured in National Geographic, TIME, The Times of London, and The Guardian. His work is part of National Geographic Society’s COVID-19 Emergency Fund for Journalists project, and one of his images, “The Human Cost of COVID-19,” sparked controversy in Indonesia when it went viral after publication by National Geographic.
Irwandi received a B.A. in English literature from the University of Exeter, and pursued graduate studies in photojournalism and documentary photography at London College of Communication. While working in West Papua, Indonesia, he focused on a long-term project on the changes in identity and landscape of the Asmat people.
Irwandi was a participant in the 2014 New York Portfolio Review, as well as the Eddie Adams, Magnum Photos, and VII Photo workshops. In 2020, Irwandi was awarded the Forhanna Foundation Fund for Young Talent and exhibited at Breda Photo Festival in the Netherlands.