Month: October 2023

URGENT APPEAL : PRINTS FOR GAZA

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PLEASE HELP NOW. In 2010, I ran an appeal for donations for the Pakistan floods in return for free prints and managed to raise a few hundred dollars for dec.org.uk, thanks to your generosity. In 2022, KLPA donated 100% of its entry fees of $5,000 to the plight of Ukrainian refugees feeling war. Today, we cannot sit idly by at the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

I have made available a selection of prints from my archive and from colleagues and friends who share a similar urgency and concern as photographers at the deteriorating situation in the Middle East.

Three simple steps

1.Donate : Simply donate (any amount) to any legitimate registered charity that has pledged or is on the ground to supply medical, shelter, water and food to the needy, eg. dec.org.uk, Oxfam, MAP, ICRC, MSF, Mercy Malaysia and others.

2. Confirm with receipt by sending a pdf or screengrab with your postal info on this form or to info@explorenation.net , with your name and address and choice of image.

3. Receive a free print : Your choice of a 10″x 8″ print will be posted to you as soon as possible.

AMIRUL JOHARI Malaysia | Amirul is a hobbyist street photographer who captures the facets of street life around Kuala Lumpur and the wide spectrum of cultures in Malaysia. @mirulstreet

PIC A ©AMIRUL JOHARI | Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Selangor 2020.
PIC B ©AMIRUL JOHARI | Monsoon Season, Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur 2019.

AISHA NAZAR Malaysia | Aisha Nazar is a documentary photographer whose work focuses on stories of community and self-identity with a personal interest in narratives on the diaspora. @aishanazar

PIC C ©AISHA NAZAR | Young boys in traditional Malay attire demonstrate Silat, a native form of martial arts. Terengganu, Malaysia 2018.
PIC D ©AISHA NAZAR | In the wake of a new day accompanied by the clinking of tiny glasses from nearby local coffee stalls, two friends meet through window bars to catch up before carrying on with their day. Hoi An, Vietnam 2018.

STEVEN LEE Malaysia | Steven is the blog owner and is the founder-director of KLPA, co-founder of Exposure+ Photo festival. He is a regular portfolio reviewer and serves as a jury in several international photography events. @stevenvllee

PIC E ©STEVEN LEE Do caged birds sing freedom songs. Jalan Sultan, Malaysia 2013.

BALQIS TAJALLI Malaysia | Balqis Tajalli, the founder of Studio Sunprint, specializes in a cameraless photographic process called cyanotype, where she focuses on creating nature-inspired works. @studiosunprint

PIC F ©BALQIS TAJALLI | Once Upon a Firecracker (1), 2023 Size: A4 Unique print. Description: A study of firecracker plants that balances explosive energy as well as delicate beauty.
PIC G ©BALQIS TAJALLI | Once Upon a Firecracker (2), 2023 Size: A4 Unique print. Description: A study of firecracker plants that balances explosive energy as well as delicate beauty.

NADIRAH ZAKARIYA Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur-born and NYC-trained photographer, Nadirah Zakariya received her BFA in Photography and Digital Imaging from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City and is currently based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Nadirah is an internationally published and exhibited independent photographer. @nadirahzakariya

PIC H ©Nadirah Zakariya | Sepat Sisters 3, 2020

The theme of sisterhood is a recurring theme in Nadirah’s works, from Daughters Ago (2010) to GIRLHOOD (2016). The works explore a connection that cannot be described, but one that is understood. The wonders of the relationship between sisters and the strong bond that they share together. Images of daydreams, hopes, fears, secrets and the layers of emotions shared between sisters are depicted, honouring the magical ties shared between one another. For Sepat Sisters, this theme is depicted through floral arrangements as an homage to the
relationships forged during the Art Girl Rising artist residency – an all-women artist residency in which these photographs were created in 2020.

ANTONIO FACCILONGO Italy | Antonio Faccilongo is an Italian documentary photographer, filmmaker and photography professor. He is a Fujifilm X-Photographer ambassador and is represented by Getty Reportage. He focuses his attention on Asia and the Middle East, principally in Israel and Palestine, covering social, political and cultural issues. @antonio_faccilongo

PIC I ©Antonio Faccilongo | The dress and shoes of the prisoner Nael Al Barghouti in his bedroom. His wife Iman keeps all her husband’s clothes, shoes and items in their home. Nael has spent 41 years in prison and he is the longest-serving Palestinian inmate in Israeli jails. Items left behind by inmates allow us to perceive the absence of men and to understand the emptiness they left in the lives of their family members. At the same time, the prisoners’ wives also keep these objects in the hope of a return home for their loved ones. Kobar, Palestine 2015.

AMRITA CHANDRADAS Singapore | Amrita Chandradas is a Singaporean documentary photographer. @amritachandradas

Pic J ©Amrita Chandradas. No sunset is the same, that’s what makes it special. This was taken by the coast at Manabí, Ecuador, 2018.

TATSUO SUZUKI Japan | Tatsuo Suzuki is a Japanese street photographer based in Tokyo. @tatsuo_suzuki_001

PIC K ©Tatsuo Suzuki A girl at the theatre ticket counter, Tokyo 2013.
PIC L ©Tatsuo Suzuki The flower for my love, Tokyo 2023.

PRESTINE DAVE KHAW Malaysia | Prestine Davekhaw dedicates her years to documenting cultures that are disappearing in the face of technological advancement and rapid cultural shifts. Founder of @disappearingjobs

PIC M ©Prestine Davekhaw. Malacca Electric Flour Mill since 1929, Malacca City, Malaysia, 2023.

LEICA OSKAR BARNACK AWARD 2023

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Certainly of the highlights for me this year, apart from celebrating the 15th anniversary of KLPA and being in Kuala Lumpur to organise Exposure+ Photo 2023 was to be invited to the Celebration of Photography 2023 by Leica in October. This was my second trip to Leitz Park to witness the announcement of the LOBA winners.

The Leica Oskar Barnack Award is one of the photography industry’s most prominent awards dedicated to documentary photography and I am honoured to be a nominator for the past few years. This year’s winning projects had a distinct artistic aesthetic over the previous winners in my opinion and perhaps it is a broadening of the photographic vision to be more inclusive to a wider audience. Nevertheless, the winners works had serious underlying narratives that challenges the typical journalistic approach of documentary photography and again, it comes back to the core of contemporary practice which is portrait photography and the importance of the human story.

At a time where the consumption of social media images takes mere seconds, we can be grateful to the jury for allowing us to delve closer into these projects and come away with a deeper understanding of the photographers intentions.

A sense of place

Tourist police at the Cox’s Bazar Beach.

Ismail Ferdous, the winner of LOBA 2023 with his series titled ‘Sea Beach’ is a portrayal of beach goers at the famous Cox Bazar coastline in Bangladesh. Photographed whimsically at midday and with artificial light over winter months in the past 4 years the portraits are layered with humour, elements of consumerism, friendships, family moments and a touch on climate change. As a photojournalist, Ismail is well aware of the infamy of Cox Bazar as one of the world’s largest refugee camps which lie a few kilometers away. This subtle reference to both extremes – the enjoyment of a place vs. the internment of a persecuted people – the Rohingyas; the former celebrated as colourful portraits, the latter unseen in the series, is a disconnect to the unsuspecting viewer but a powerful reminder of how photography can be selective in the depiction of reality.

A couple poses for a picture at the Cox’s Bazar Beach.
Cows at the Cox’s Bazar beach.

Estranged generation

Ziyi Le wins the Newcomer with his series New Comer. Self-doubt and emptiness compelled Ziyi to begin a project to connect with and document Chinese youths that shared his emotional state, his kindred spirits. Reaching out to anonymous individuals via social media, he quickly found his subjects in the form of over 40 estranged youths from which he formed friendships to gain trust to photograph their intimate moments.

A popular fashion blogger. Hangzhou, China 2021.

“How can you capture feelings in pictures? What does a face say about a person’s emotional state? And, are there really feelings that unite and move a whole generation?” Ziyi’s intimate portraits have a sense of self and calmness about them. These youths although seemingly feeling lost and engulfed with emptiness shows perseverance and hidden determination. Ultimately, it is a reflection of Ziyi’s quest to understanding his personal emotive state through the discovery of others in similar circumstances. It is often said that a portrait is a reflection of the sitter as well as the photographer.

A Chinese-Italian studying in China. Hangzhou, China 2021.
A young couple. Hangzhou, China 2021.

All images © named artists and courtesy of Leica Oskar Barnack Award.

Photography, to me.

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Is a drug.

More than the pursuit of the perfect image, it is an obsession to see more, understand more, and encounter more.

Photography is a journey to discover what exists, and can exist, if we see with our hearts and feel with our minds. Writers write and artists paint, starting with a blank canvas. With photography, the difference is subtle. We start with a canvas that is already full of life and colour. It is as real as it gets. Photography, by its very definition, cannot exist without light as there will be nothing to photograph.

I’ve immersed my entire adult life in this magic light trick, and now I take a step back. Long flights and drives allow me to think. Having just completed co-organising a third photo festival, even if it’s a minor one in comparison to others I’ve been to, I cherish the high moments and dread the lows. But there is no middle ground. It comes as a package deal.

The connections I’ve made in the name of photography over the past years have been fulfilling and rewarding. It has brought me to far flung places and closer ones to, meeting incredibly talented artists and wonderful people who are open minded and dedicated to the practice.

I’ve reviewed countless portfolios and continue to do so, and nominated artists to international awards. The takeaway I’ve learnt from all this is, there are stories to be told. Every photographer wants to tell a story. Even if it’s just one incredible image, without a story the image just hangs on the wall soulless.

The audiences to these are picky and may not be all too appreciative, however. It is very easy to overlook and brush less striking work aside and go for the visually popular images. After all, today’s society prefers repetitive and spoon-fed visuals that are easy to understand, aesthetically pleasing and requires no thinking. We like ‘hi-fi’ photography, where bass and treble are set to the maximum, loosing the subtleties and nuances in between.

I started KLPA because I am interested in the face and how every portrait is a reflection not only of the sitter, but the photographer as well. We just celebrated the 15th back-to-back edition of the KLPA and therein lies a dilemma. Is interest waning? At times I feel a responsibility towards the photo communities, to its followers, and to the past winners, to retain KLPA’s vision and standards, year in and year out. This is not easy to maintain. I have good years and lesser ones. Ebbs and flows. 2023 was a good year. The finalists received record worldwide views. But there is a constant fear that KLPA is not being sufficiently visible, especially locally. Perhaps it’s just my expectations on what I would have liked it to become.

Similarly as festival organisers, do we alienate certain interest groups to the benefit of others? Or do we keep to our mission and yet be inclusive. Like an ocean liner, once the course is charted, we set sail, avoiding the icebergs along the way. And the people we cater to are the paying passengers. Or do we pick up new passengers along the way and explore new destinations?

I photograph less nowadays. Perhaps I have no stories to tell, yet I have unfinished projects that need to be completed and these are being put off year after year. There are always stories to tell.

Pic: Man with brolley, Kobe, 2017 © Steven Lee