AK Rockefeller Photography

Photography

Undying Guardians of the North

Part lion, part dragon. These ancient, mythical guardians protect a temple, Wat Mahawan, in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Photographs by Zashnain Zainal ...

Merge Into One: Photos from the Thai Floods of 2011

Merge Into One: Photos from the Thai Floods of 2011

In August 2011 the floods appeared aggressive, somewhat north of Thailand. Then it, like a raging beast, surge forth, southward – a destructive force of nature, that claimed land, farms, villages, towns and cit ...

The Day Begins

Photograph by Zashnain. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.     ...

Inequality in Bolehland

Inequality in Bolehland

Will there be any improvements to the state of poverty and hardship for Malaysians and migrant workers? What are NGOs and government agencies doing to improve the quality of life for marginalised communities? Or will ...

The Swirling Desolation of Time

The Swirling Desolation of Time

I have lost track of time. There is this bizarre feeling of a swirling abyss, somewhere, ever-consuming. Time is perhaps not relevant, often I ask myself – not relevant to me? Emotions are high, while exhaustio ...

Was ist das Proletariat?

Was ist das Proletariat?

Photos by Zashnain | Bangkok, Thailand.     ...

Traditional Home of the Nias

The house of an indigenous chieftain from the Nias tribe. ~ Photograph by Zainal Lembang | 1976, Pulau Nias, North Sumatra. In the Nias language, the Nias people are known as Ono Niha; which literally means ‘de ...

The Asmat: Cycle of Poverty and Malnutrition

The village of Tomor, where rivers weave like snakes through thick forest, is so remote that its 500 residents have no regular access to education and health services supplied by the government. Health officials said ...

Untangling the Complexities of Technology

Workers repair Bangkok’s endless, tangled wires. Photography by Zashnain Zainal   ...

Dream State

Dream State

Poverty in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Art and photography by Zashnain Zainal   ...

Capture the Real You

Capture the Real You

Homelessness and urban poverty in Kuala Lumpur. Photography and art by Zashnain Zainal | Malaysia. ...

A Sinuous Path Through the Slum

A Sinuous Path Through the Slum

There’s no way one can miss the presence of slum neighbourhoods in Bangkok. Urban poverty gets in your face, regardless where you’re travelling in the congested City of Angels. Despite its overbearing pre ...

Time Will Remember Their Perseverance

Time Will Remember Their Perseverance

Bangkok. As I walk on a narrow alley towards my sanctuary, I see no improvements for many urban poor Thai families. They live in slums – often seen as a labyrinth of confusion and destitution. The part where sm ...

We Make a Living

We Make a Living

A slow day at the market.  Photographs by @bedlamfury Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 2018     ...

Struggling Urban Communities

Struggling Urban Communities

In a realm of loss, individuals are forgotten and neglected by the mainstream doctrine of social development. Photographs by @bedlamfury Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 2018   ...

Blinded by the Light

Blinded by the Light

Marginalised communities struggle in Kuala Lumpur, the heart of Malaysia – a capital known as the garden city of lights. But the government and ruling political parties continue to compliment themselves for  ...

Break Away from Work

Regular meals are important, despite the grueling work that is expected of the common man. Communities must be fed, and after that the cycle of hardship continues.   ...

Communities, Landscapes Shaped by Apathy

Communities, Landscapes Shaped by Apathy

Home Urban settlements, with their self-built structures of mismatched wood, cheap cement and rusted zinc. They’re vulnerable to rain and flood, and now, the dreaded cold. Maze Neighbourhoods, their alleys fill ...

Street Music is Work Too

Street Music is Work Too

A tiring night yet he moves; carrying his music. Onward, to find another place, to ply his trade. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 2017. ...

The Hand That Feeds Us

The Hand That Feeds Us

Migrant workers are often trapped in an invisible dimension – in countries that need cheap labour, where employers demand for round-the-clock workers, where their individual identities are discarded, where sala ...