highlights
CULTURE
5 photographers show how light and shadow work together
By Terence Toh
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March 22, 2017
Step into the latest exhibition at the Museum of Asian Art at Universiti Malaya in Kuala Lumpur this month, and see light, shadow and tonality like you’ve never seen it before.
Chiaroscuro Project II: The Naked Environment, a photography show, showcases simple objects and everyday scenes – flower blossoms, empty rooms, landscapes and candid moments in the city – but captures them in new light, allowing viewers to draw new meaning from them.
“A lot of people are going to come and say, why are the pictures so sharp? I think what they mean is, ‘Why are they so detailed, why are there so many things to see?’ All the flowers, all the scenes, you’ve never seen them in black and white like this. It’s going to be quite an experience,” says Adam Seow, 60, who is one of the five photographers involved in this exhibition.
Chiaroscuro Project II: The Naked Environment features photographs by Seow, Rebecca Iing, Choy Khye Fatt, James Khoo and KK Tan.
This exhibition is a follow-up to last year’s Chiaroscuro I: An Arrangement, which Seow, Iing, Tan and Choy were also involved in. The series gets its name from “chiaroscuro”, an Italian term referring to the interplay between light and shade in painting and drawing.
As a result, most of the 50-odd photographs on display are in black and white, although there are a few shot in radiant colour. The photographers, coming from varied age group (late 30s to early 60s), hope this exhibition will broaden photography’s appeal among art collectors.
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Rebecca Iing’s sharply focused Orchid For MK. Photo: Rebecca Iing
“Photography can be an art form. Our camera is the equivalent of a painter’s brush and palette. I have seen artists who try to draw so that their art looks like a photograph. And we, photographers, are trying to shoot something so it looks like a painting! Things are beginning to converge, and I think the lines are going to be crossed soon,” says Khoo with a laugh.
The photographs at the exhibition range a variety of subjects, each showcasing a different aspect of the world around us. Iing’s photos, for example, are large close-ups of plants and flowers, in a style reminiscent of the American photographer Imogen Cunningham. Looking at these sharply-detailed blossoms, you can almost smell their fragrances.
Seow’s works are sweeping showcases of cave and mountain scenes. One of his most striking photos, however, is that of a disused train in a sugar factory in Indonesia, a once powerful giant now laid to rest. Khoo’s travel-centred contributions, on the other hand, are candid images taken in distant lands, such as the dawn-lit farms of Greece and the bustling souks of Morocco.
Tan’s photographs, in comparison, are scenic landscapes, featuring much interplay of natural elements. Many of them were shot at Malaysian destinations, such as Cameron Highlands and the various waterfalls in Selangor.
A photo by James Khoo
“On weekends, I will go around and take photographs of places people don’t usually notice. Some people see me by the roadside with a tripod, and think I’m crazy! Whenever I drive, and see something I like, I stop my car and shoot,” says Tan.
Finally, Choy’s works are still-life wonders packed with details, each of which has something to tell about the subject of his picture. Many of them are set in an old Chinese medicinal hall in Teluk Intan, Perak. All of his works have names, such as Conclusion, Steadfast and Old/New.
“When I look at anything I want to shoot, I must have a feeling for it first. Then I manage my light, and then decide my main and secondary subjects. When I shoot, I must have a title or caption in mind, which is for me to contemplate,” says Choy.
Chiaroscuro Project II: The Naked Environment is showing at Museum of Asian Art in Universiti Malaya until April 6. Call 03-7967 3805/7967 3936 or visit www.museum.um.edu.my for more information.
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