When alumnus and photographer Joshua Irwandi published a picture of a coronavirus victim in an Indonesian hospital in October 2020, he was unprepared for the reaction it would provoke.

The photo would go on to take second place in the 2021 World Press Photo Awards in the General News category and was named a finalist for the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography, but it also sparked controversy across Indonesia.

Joshua, who graduated in English Literature from Exeter in 2013, is a documentary photographer represented by VII Photo Agency and a National Geographic Explorer based in Jakarta, Indonesia. His work has been featured in National Geographic, NHK, The Times of London, The Globe and Mail, CNN, TIME, and The Guardian.

He says: “I feel my drive as a documentarian is to create memories in every given time. I believe as we create memories, we create new perspectives. These new perspectives create an endless cycle of opportunities to look and therefore reconsider our human condition and state of the world we live in. They provide us with reasons for a change in a very much injured world. I believe it’s this very power of photography that made me decide to become a documentary photographer.”

During his career Joshua has always been interested in photographing ideas concerning social issues and social change. He uses his photography to share people’s stories and to document what is happening in the world, whether it is good news or tragedy. Often his work helps to give a voice to people who are otherwise unseen by the wider world.

The image from the hospital came from a desire to document the work of the medical forces fighting the pandemic.

Joshua says: “Early in the outbreak, I applied to a hospital in Indonesia to photograph how COVID-19 was affecting life there. I came to the hospital like any other photojournalist around the world documenting the frontlines of COVID-19. I wanted to show what the reality was for the people working in that environment as from the beginning until now, they risk their lives each day to protect us. For that particular image, I didn’t plan it, it was something I only encountered when I was embedded with the doctors and nurses in the COVID-19 ward.

“I wanted it to warn and inform the public of the danger of coronavirus. At the beginning, the pandemic was not taken seriously, and the number of cases and death rates went to record-breaking heights. The public have to realise this and have every right to know the human cost of coronavirus and that it is very real.

“The image was also made to show the work of the medical staff. This is the line of work for the medical force in Indonesia. Early in the pandemic we had messages full of support towards the health workers. Somehow throughout the period that message has been twisted into an accusation the medical force is profiteering from this pandemic. The fact remains, 2,032 medical workers in Indonesia have died from the pandemic. In a country with 1 doctor in every 10,000 population. If we were to track back to early days, patients lied about their travel history and their symptoms just to get a hospital bed. Now, for the doctors and nurses who have perished, what’s in it for them? Why did we donate so many PPEs at the beginning, if we were going to dismiss what they have to say? The medical workers, wherever they may be, absolutely deserve full credit for helping us get through this pandemic.”

The image went viral on social media following the publication by National Geographic. The Nat Geo post alone was liked by more than a million people and sparked huge debate.

Joshua says: “Almost immediately, celebrities and government officials doubted the veracity of the image. I was accused of setting up the photo to spread fear. Many thought I brought studio lights to photograph the body, many thought it was a mannequin inside. Details of my private life were released as news. I received violent direct messages, racial abuse, and comments across all social media. What was so striking for me was how polarised opinions were regarding the pandemic. I didn’t feel that until the photo I uploaded on Instagram went viral.

“I quickly learned, however, that it was not necessarily the denial we are battling with. We are also fighting a losing battle with social media algorithms where the reality people believe in is the reality they choose for themselves. If you like, or comment, or support certain posts on social media, the algorithm feeds you back similar content. An echo chamber. On that basis, you cannot take anything people write on social media personally. At the same time, it begs the question: how much does social media alter people’s perspectives about the danger of the virus?”