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© Xiao
Not much information on the photographer, Xiao, but he tells me that he was originally from Tian Jin, China. Spent a year in Japan halfway through his studies to “experience life” and he’s in the States now completing a economics degree. Sometimes, the less you say, the more evocative the pictures turn out. While I generally only post completed or semi-completed series of works, some of his images really spoke to me. Click here to visit his blog.
Singapore’s newest addition to the art/photography gallery scene, Vue Privée, opens its doors this coming Thursday, May 13. Founded by photographer, Oliver Henry, the gallery hopes to redefine and democratize the world of fine art photography through exhibitions, educational platforms and art consultancy services.
The inaugural exhibition – Technicolor Japan, places Japanese photography from the late Edo period alongside contemporary artwork from artists from various practices.
Location: 20 Cairnhill Road S(229652)
Website: www.vueprivee.comm
One moment, one second, one push of the button…and one amazing prize – a medium format digital back!
© Joyce Choo
ONE is a pioneer convention uniting established professionals and aspiring photographers towards a singular goal : The perfection of the craft in medium and large sensor photography. ONE aims to be a powerful platform for existing professional to showcase their new personal works based on the “ONE” theme and for aspiring photographers to launch their careers through adapting industry practices and workflow systems.
ONE kicks off with a photography competition, calling for best photographic works worldwide. These works will be in line with the theme “ONE”, an acronym of “Our Need to Express”. Competition finalists will be mentored under a professional to refine their skills and compete for the top prize.
This convention will begin on 1st April 2010 with the launch of the competition and will culminate to a series of events in October 2010 with the opening of the exhibition.
Japanese photographer, Kanako Sasaki, sees the world in a childlike manner…yet she also views it as a world of contrast – innocence/violence, loneliness/playfulness.
TOP TO BOTTOM, from (“Drifted“)
© Kanako Sasaki, 2008
Inspired by astronomy, Drifted is a series that questions our whereabouts, our existence and the relationship between the moon and the Earth. If one was acquainted with her earlier works, especially Wanderlust, one could easily pinpoint the various sources of inspiration and recognize the dreamlike quality of her images.
A lone female character inhabits the series, surrounded by amazing scenery, playing out a narrative. Using a few images (and an installation), the photographer managed to invoke a sense of wonderment; of how things are so much more interesting out there in the world. It made my day and I hope it would make yours too.
Here’s an interview of the photographer by the beautiful people of Nymphoto. Also, do look at her other series, Wanderlust and Walking in the Jungle. It’s a series that would put a smile on your face. Visit her website for more.
Diametrically opposed to my previous post, Bharat Sikka’s Indian Men is a series that well…focuses on Indian men. While the palette is decisively darker (shades of Edward Hopper), the sitters’ colorful personalities shine through.
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© Bharat Sikka, 2002
These environmental portraits are filled with interesting characters – all males of Indian descent, stratifying various classes of society. Set at, what I assume, to be their natural surroundings, we view these moustached men with an eye of curiosity.
What’s his story? He looks rich. Awesome looking facial hair!
These and other thoughts raced across my mind as I looked through the works. Every single person seems to have a story to tell and the photographer has managed to create an air of mystery around them. The series goes beyond what is shown and often, it is the things that are not shown that intrigue me the most.
Bharat graduated from Parson’s and works between Europe and India now. Drop by his website to see his other works.
I’m surprised that I’ve not come across this Korean photographer but Koo Sung Soo’s Magical Reality really caught my eye. The series consists of images filled with brightly colored manmade “monuments” – fake Statues of Liberty, a karaoke room (aptly named False Orchestra), odd trees and spaces that seem to be from pages of a comic book.
TOP TO BOTTOM, from (“Magical Reality“)
© Koo Sung Soo, 2005
The more imaginative of us live in private worlds filled with color and totally divorced from reality’s drabness. Koo’s works explores the physical manifestation of this. Steering away from his older works where he observed the functionality of objects (“Principle of Functioning” and “Inspection of Factory”), this series focuses on the metaphysical aspect of function.
Bright colors fill the images, usually taken at places where humans find relief from their daily doldrums; amusement parks, galleries, tour buses et cetera. It’s a journey away and inward, to a reality where everything is cheerful. There is no pretension in the work, presenting a reality that one can only call magical.
For more of his works, visit his website here.
Finally, some time for musing. The past month had been extremely hectic especially at the day job – hence the lack of posts. Nevertheless, I’m committed to injecting life back to the blog. Just a passing thought today but it’s as if we spend 80% of our time on 20% of the things that we really want to do and 20% of our time on 80% of other tasks.
Naturally, the actual amount spent on the latter (things that brighten our souls) is so short that we end up passing through life with our eyes glazed over. I’m absolutely glad that I finally gotten down to some shooting last weekend though.
This weekend, I’m going to spend heaps of time doing what I really want. (Updating the blog, catching up on my readings, working on some personal projects.)
Helping to pass the word along for a call for papers for the upcoming CAA conference in New York, Feb 2011. Art-related academia is way beyond my capabilities but I’m sure some of you readers may find it interesting. Read on for more information.
Transcultural Visuality: Photography in East-Asia
The session will focus on photography, as an image making procedure, which reached East-Asia close to the time of the first experimentations and its commencement in Europe, mid 19th c..
This was a unique opportunity to take part in the shaping of the field by artists across East-Asia who took interest in the newly introduced medium. In doing so, many of these practitioners added to the developing language of photography, contributing from their respective aesthetic vocabulary, drawing from particular visual cultures, adding to technical and conceptual developments of the field. Photography, therefore, developed as a truly transcultural medium, with contributions from different cultures that conglomerated and shaped the field.
Papers may explore any issues regarding photography as a transcultural medium, created between East-Asia and the West, from its early days to the present; discussions of innovative projects in Japan, Korea and China referring to hybrid traditions of representation, narratives, localities, formats, monochrome/ colour aesthetics or compositional strategies, are of great interest.
Please send proposals (250 words) to:
Ayelet Zohar, Stanford University transcultural.visuality[at]gmail.com
By May 3rd, 2010.
TOP, Three Elderly Entertainers, Beijing
© Liu Zheng, 1995
Talk about East meeting West. Sanatorium, a gallery in Turkey, is showing an exhibition on Chinese contemporary photographers, Passing China, from March 25 to April 24. This is in collaboration with Eli Klein Gallery from New York. A look at the list of artists reveal some well-travelled photographers from China – Chen Qiang, Lian Dongya, Li Wei, Liu Bolin, Maleonn, Miao Xiaochun, Pan Yue, Wang Yiqiong, Zuoxiao Zuzhou.
I think that the cross-border showing of photography, especially outside the main art centers can be quite a good primer for a region’s works. I have lost count of the number of people asking me for advice on photography coming from Asia (despite this blog’s moniker, I’m not really an expert). However, the interesting bit comes in when, after viewing the more well-known works, one finds the few gems in the rough. It can be an exhilarating experience.
Visit the gallery’s official website to read more. C-Arts Magazine has a review of the exhibition held in New York here.
Zeinab Salarvand
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© Zeinab Salarvand, 2007
Dide Magazine is back with issue 2 and this time round Iranian photographer, Zeinab Salarvand, is featured with a series that leaves me rather unsettled.
The images seek to reveal the subjects’ place of rest – their beds, coupled with a satelite image from Google map and some text on their age/gender/occupation. Does it bother you that perhaps our lives are being scrutinized on a higher level now? Spy movies spring to mind, with the accompanying zooming in special effects. Nevertheless, a simple, well-executed idea in my opinion.