Self-pursuit– The Explorations of Two Young PhotographersAll begins with dialogue.

Self-pursuit– The Explorations of Two Young PhotographersAll begins with dialogue.Dialogues between stories produced by images, or personal languages of photography or even each other’s unique discoveries.Such dialogues bring us on a trip to faraway Brazil, broadening our vision and also enriching our visual experiences. And this kind of effect can be achieved by a camera made from a paper box! Moreover, from these dialogues we may better understand the artists’ creative journeys. Isn’t it very interesting?The first photographer is waving at us from a country afar. Only when we get closer do we realize: eh! it’s Brazil, a land both familiar and strange to us. How does young and vibrant Maria Soares see this Portuguese-speaking nation? Brazil reminds us of Pelé, the King of Football, of Samba dancing and Carnival, and of course of its older big brother, Portugal. Maria, who loves photography, at first observes the country with curiosity yet in a light color tone. By observing Brazil deeply and in a delicate way, she shows a Brazil that looks unfamiliar to us. For us in Macao, this kind of observation, more distinct and focused, is rather urgent. With the media of photography and using her own language, Maria delivers the expression of her feelings, which cannot be interpreted by any other language. Her photos make me remember the road movies of Wim Wenders. They both randomly shoot objects fond during a wandering, but these ordinary subjects beheld in their eyes do encourage our fantastic imagination. For example, the scenes along the road taken from inside a car not only give us a glimpse of some architectural characteristics of Brazil, but also inspire us to observe the very familiar settings in an unconventional manner. This is exactly the key. While today’s Macao gives people ‘a sense of novelty’, we can also try to find a different way to retake this very familiar place. It could be a very interesting exercise.Yet what does the other artist, Si Meng Kuan(Frankie), think of photography as an expression tool?This time she uses a pinhole camera – a kind of unconventional photography apparatus – to discover the secrets of a hand-made gadget through a playful approach. It proves that a semi-controlled camera, if simply rendered with an experimental attitude and a will to discover other expression ways through different perspectives, will certainly give you surprises, making artistic creation so enjoyable and attractive. With a hand-made pinhole camera Frankie takes pictures of some very ordinary and usually unnoticed landscapes and things. Once captured in the paper box, the images become infused with a kind of (strong) expression power, looking unexpectedly different. Though a bit coarse and diffuse, they are so unsual that will keep sharpening our eyes over and over.In the end, if photography as an artistic tool can break out from its older molds, then it can also captivate audiences better, infusing them with imagination and inspiration.策展人 / Curator：李銳奮 / Frank Lei主辦 / Organization：婆仔屋藝術空間 / Old Ladies’ House Art Space贊助 / Sponsor:民政總署/ IACM澳門基金會 / FUNDAÇÃO MACAU
位於 6/18/2008 05:17:00 下午 0 回應
2008-06-14