On the 20th of September; we (artists of the “Diversity”) exhibition held a round talk in regard to the works being displayed. I arrived late but just in time reviewing my pieces. Late, but not too late to understand the reasons of the entire symposium (as Bernice Chauly was saved as the last presenter of the talk).

Composite of 5 elements by Azril; “Crux Saltire”, 2008

Some had mentioned the quest of unfulfilled departure had gave an emotional stress of losing the quality of control towards the image-making. Some even gathered to reveal the passion of having the appropriate “tools” in the making of the images, while I gave a rather undefined and open-ended elements of the need to remember the “little things” such as the chemicals or the alchemy that took place in the darkroom, in which was something an acquired experienced B+W photographers must go through to create images in certain conditions.

For me, I have to thank Alex Moh for conditioned the exhibition to be entirely consist of gelatin silver prints, as it had made me aware the uncertainties lies within that restricted space that provides certain “world” that takes separates the real world from the printers by making the prints in an almost total darkness. My presentation was more about the experience of making them, the rationale of the images would be the least of my concerns as any viewers would have their own interpretations (much like any other artists displaying their works).

Pang Khee Teik’s Composites; “Whatever You Believe...”

Pang’s display to question “Whatever You Believe...” (is true to you) would be a quest of religious affairs that relates to the diasporic conditions the artist had gone through towards freeing his Catholic background towards becoming a rather Atheist-based artist. Though my words may not be enough to reveal the entire intentions of his work & words. These composites had put in the empirical questions that ran through almost any Western literates that finds this country’s restrictions & taboo that had become as a form of shackles towards communal beliefs. He gave an interesting overview of a world where the inheritance of fear & disassociations are hereditary and became as a form of damaging behavior in uniting the country’s multi-racial (more of multi-religon) affairs. The two iconography, Anwar Ibrahim the Malaysian Political populist & a man who plays Jesus the savior (local?) in a rectilinear workflow surrounding the phrase to contain the phrase.

I reasoned with this piece and actually enjoyed returning to it as to associate the images from one to the other to form a rather musing narrated story-line that plays in my mind of the two similar characters.

Azrul K. Abdullah’s Triptychs

Azrul’s triptychs of three consist of his quest (his work would rather be somewhat simple-yet-complex relationship of abandoned space, “Simplex” as how I would term them). Several curators I had talked to in Singapore had mentioned to document abandoned space is a form of a cliche for majority of the pro-photo disciples, as it had always glared the composure of human elemental discards and a similar spatial experiences. Though I began to see his works in relation to mine, yet I could not phantom to the level of his tolerance of human ignorance for so long as he admitted he had been doing this for 3 decades. Of course, the European photographers had been framing such “designed-space” which became an almost favorable photo-art-talk about the human conditions. Nothing against it really... as it is what is shows and left us to fend for ourselves. Through Azrul’s perceptive studies and composure of the images, he negotiated the spatial rationales and carries somewhat a rather sarcastic narratives for the viewers to ponder and leaving neither an answer to our most problems nor our an open-ended queries, but it gave me the similar experiences I had while traveling throughout the United States;

“It is just how it is....”

Bernice’s primary impact would not be her works per se, as taboo-based documentations would be an offer that promises a great potential that she pegs into the gallery scenes, as I would define her powerful visual attitudes into her narrative structures in her ambition to provide the need of proving desires of selected “unwanted people” experiencing the norm as a discomforting daily affairs, I would say it would be close to Dorothy Lange’s depressive folio of the American Biographies, or Julia Margaret Cameron’s celebrated images, but I would rather see it more geared towards an affair of these series into power by having them in umpteen volumes of the undesired existence (I would strongly hope she would compose a monograph of her words & and poetic images... as I favor every now and then to read her blog space), such beautiful prose of energetic yet subtle poetries would be an excellent brew of a coffee table read.

Tags: Exhibition, Annexe Gallery, Photography, B+W

Alex Moh giving an opening speech @ the Annexe Gallery

The opening Night for the launching of Three exhibitions surrounding the theme of B+W Fest was the first of its kind (besides PhotoFest... which is totally different approach to “Pro-sumer” level entirely) came in as a surprise in the response of Photography Exhibition catering to the nostalgic (not the subject matter) medium within this discipline that reveals the reasons of practicing B+W of the last few in this country. The moment I walked into the space was greeted by numerous types of “indulging” dimensional world of photographic approach from landscape to bodyscape. Which, I had to admit, became as a form of reference on Artworks created through photographic medium applied by these artists had started to form into more dimensional presentation.

Though still far from majority of the present contemporaries, I had a slight nudge of relief that the hearts of the majority of these photographers do have pending works that I know lies far greater than just simply understanding the approach of the subject matter, but they had also became respectful towards the post-presentation by leaping out of the frame to reveal the ideas hidden behind the frames. I hope all of this “first glance” would not blind the descriptive ideas to these works, but I’ll have a look again tomorrow to understand the works better....

Images of the Diversity exhibition @ the Annexe Gallery Visit

Tags: Art, Exhibition, Annexe Gallery, Photography, B+W

The upcoming photography exhibitions that would be held at the Annexe Gallery in Kuala Lumpur on the 20th of September ’08 would illuminate the changes in the landscape of traditional photography. Having a brief discussions with Pang, the owner & also one of the participating artist was a care of a mention in the intentions for the exhibition. Though I would not know as yet in the outlooks of the pieces that will be hanged, as I suspect the limitations of the works are strictly confined to gelatin silver prints; the photographic material that apparently remained a difficult material to gather & quite expensive, had now becomes as a form of a “transition” for most of the mentioned participating artists. Some would disagree, but to hear that the considerations in moving into conceptual & dimensional pieces would not be left out in the considerations for most of us as we are quite frankly, bored with the 2-D representation.

Not speaking for all of course, the event of dominant players of digital camera manufacturers are leaving us high & dry to work with anything traditional in sense.

Tags: Exhibition, B+W

From left to right: “Catfish on the Rocks”, “Sparky”, & “Truck” no.1


The “Skull” (Work-in-progress)

The synthesis of an art work for me was a simple gesture of neither the repetitions of the old masters, but a repetition of the environment surrounds me. In the early years of 2001, I was introduced to Christian Faur; who was an excellent artist & physicist then & an inspiration. He mentioned that an artist creates his best (works) when he is surrounded by his (or others) best works. Be it of an actual piece or a working ones, it would certainly embed into the newer works. For years, I believed such say were limited to the studio environment, but now it make sense that aspirations & influences goes beyond the restrictions to my own studio, but as a whole parameter of my activities and my visual aspirations.

the finishing of “Working Title” @ Petronas Gallery

Life, living, MAKING ART now defined not of the “photocopying” of the past artworks, but to realize the future by understanding the present and making them present. Badrol (my curator at Petronas) mentioned that there are no such thing as Art, as there are only the artist, a physical manifestation of the man to play the role that fits in the world composed the format of reflection; be it as a tainted mirror, a different dimension, or the future.

Tags: Exhibition, Petronas Gallery, Art

The launching “Working Title” exhibition @ the Petronas Gallery of the took place in the Gallery; 3rd floor in KLCC of Kuala Lumpur went on with a good crowd, great food & shared ideas & artworks.

Tags: Exhibition, Petronas Gallery, Opening, Art, Artist