Watching the world
Leading Malaysian contemporary photographer Eiffel Chong showcases his work for the first time in Thailand in a solo exhibition “A Trace of Mortality” running at Kathmandu Photo Gallery from September 9 to October 28.
Consisting of 15 pieces from 15 years of creative production, the show offers a vivid taste of the artist’s disquieting ability to fill the world with invisible watching eyes.
In the black & white series, “Haunted School” (2001 -2002), an old tree like a giant hand seems to be holding the world—a school building at night, empty of students, more like a haunted house than a school.
In the bright clean series, “Institutional Care” (2005 – 2007), a newborn child lies by itself in a basin under ultraviolet lamplight. His simple angle and composition suggest to us that the baby is being watched by someone or something from a distance.
In another photo, a fresh new bouquet of flowers has been left on the floor outside a hospital room.
In “Seascape” (2014), at the Cambodian seaside, a giant painted plaster crab with the legend “Welcome to Kep” seems to clack its claws in homage to the noon sun; yet the sea, normally full of waves, is smooth and unmoving.
“I’m interested in how photography can translate a particular time and space, memories and thoughts into something permanent,” Chong says of his work.
“Eiffel Chong’s extreme long exposures bring impressive results. It is as if the artist is using his camera to absorb everything before it, including things normally invisible to the human eye – things which become more visible to us the longer we gaze as his images,” adds curator and gallery owner Curator Manit Sriwanichpoom.
Chong, 40, graduated with an MA in International Contemporary Art and Design Practice from the University of East London and a BA (Hons) in Photography from London College of Printing.
Besides his production of photographic work, Chong is highly engaged with the Malaysian photographic community; taking on the role of mentor for the Goethe Institut Malaysia’s Nikon Shooting Stars programme and Exposure+ Workshop. He also serves on the panel of judges for the Kuala Lumpur Photography Awards and the Annual Nikon Photo Awards.
The gallery opens daily except Sunday and Monday. For more information, visit www. www.KathmanduPhotoBkk.com or call (02) 234 6700.
