Elisabetta Zavoli

Mami Yuli, aka Yulianus Rettoblaut, born 1961, is the leader of Indonesian waria, an “umbrella” word, that stands for transgender and transvestite people. For religious reasons, many are not interested in sex-reassignment surgeries as they believe t

Mami Yuli, aka Yulianus Rettoblaut, born 1961, covered her face under a pink silk scarf. She is the leader of Indonesian waria, an “umbrella” word, that stands for transgender and transvestite people. Jakarta, Indonesia, 29th April 2013.

Mami Yuli, aka Yulianus Rettoblaut, born 1961, on her bed in the shelter house for elderly waria. She is the leader of Indonesian waria, an “umbrella” word, that stands for transgender and transvestite people. Jakarta, Indonesia, 26th April 2013.

Ana's legs in full-blown AIDS. Ana is a young waria sex worker in Jakarta. Many waria are so poor that they often allow clients to have sex without using condoms to earn little more money. HIV is quickly spreading among this community and their clie

A rooftop in central Jakarta with rental rooms occupied by waria people sex workers is enlighted by the reddish light of the "blue blood moon" in 2018. Jakarta, Indonesia, 31st January 2018.

Ririn, 35, is a waria from Bengkulu province (Sumatra). She couldn't finish her studies because her family cannot afford it so she moved to Jakarta, where she lives, together with a pet fish, in a tiny rental room at the first floor of a crowded, ra

Some baloons ready for celebrating the 54th birthday of Mami Yuli, aka Yulianus Rettoblaut, leader of the Indonesian waria community, at the FKWI headquarter (association of Indonesian waria community). Jakarta, Indonesia, 4th May 2016.

Susan, 27, after receiving collagen injections in her breast. Injecting collagen is the cheapest way for waria people to modify their body in order to align it with their soul: nose, cheeks, chin but also gluteus and breast are the most common parts

Winda, 21, is a young waria from Palembang, Sumatra. She arrived in Jakarta after she was chased out of her parents house because they didn't want to accept her diversity. She had to start working as a prostitute because she can't find any job. Jaka

Fanny, 25 years old, a transgender woman, is smoking on the sofa of the rental room where she works as a prostitute, in central Jakarta. She gives a 24-hours service, finding her clients on social networks. Since 2016, when political attacks against

The golden high heels shoes of a young waria, street sex worker, are well sorted on the shelf in her tiny rental room. Jakarta, Indonesia, 23rd February 2017

Mami Yuli, aka Yulianus Rettoblaut, born 1961, sleeps in her room in the shelter house for elderly waria. She is the leader of Indonesian waria, an “umbrella” word, that stands for transgender and transvestite people. Jakarta, Indonesia, 8th June 2

Dimas, a young waria performer, 17, is getting ready for her show, in the dressing room of Moonlight discoteque. Jakarta, Indonesia, 21st April, 2015.

Mami Yuli, aka Yulianus Rettoblaut, born 1961, is helding a bunch of fake flowers. She is the leader of Indonesian waria, an “umbrella” word, that stands for transgender and transvestite people. Jakarta, Indonesia, 15th November 2012.

White orchid photographed with an UV filter. Jakarta, Indonesia, 27th June 2014.

The Velvet Butterfly

“The velvet butterfly” is a body of work about my 6 years documentation of the waria community in Jakarta, Indonesia. Waria is an umbrella word for transgender and transvestite people, coming from the merging of wanita (woman) and pria (man). My vision changed over the course of the years as changed my perception and understanding of waria people. The very first day I met Mami Yuli, the leader of the community, I felt repulsed. I was ashamed of myself for having had this feeling but I wasn’t able to codify her and that was destabilizing. I felt confused. I felt puzzled. I felt uncomfortable. But I was curious. I felt intrigued by her diversity. I’ve got obsessed by her nature and I started to dream about her transformation. She took me on a journey inside the waria community and I took a journey inside me. That is why my personal experience had to be part of this narrative. Visually, I’ve edited on a purple background the staged pictures because this is the colour that comes to my mind when thinking of velvet.

Elisabetta Zavoli

I’m a documentary photographer born in Rimini (Italy) in 1976. I graduated in Environmental Sciences at University of Bologna in 2001 and in 2009 I got a Master in Photojournalism at Contrasto Agency in Milan. In the same year, I moved to Algiers where I’ve been documenting the condition of women in Algerian society. Since 2012, I have been based in Jakarta working as a free-lance photographer on assignments and on personal long term documentary projects regarding environmental issues and gender issues. My project documenting the depletion of mangroves ecosystem in Indonesia has been awarded, in 2016, Journalism Grant for Innovation in Development Reporting by European Journalism Centre. My photos, videos and articles have been published on major international media and press agencies. So far, my photographic work has been shown in 19 exhibitions, both solo and collective, in 9 countries all over the world.