Borderlines

Went to give CityBoy some moral support for his first photo exhibition @ The Substation today. Didn't meet the Dude for more than a year other than our extremely brief meeting during my August Run. Moi was blow over by his works... Nope... Moi is not referring to the technicality of his skills... I am not able to tell. I was swept over by the sincerity in his works.

The exhibition displays photographs that he has taken during a 2 weeks visit in Man Bong, a small village in China's south-western Yunnan. His photos aim to show the multi-layers of village lives: modernisation versus tradition, agriculture versus industrialisation, male versus female....etc. etc.

Had a long chat with CityBoy on his visit to Man Bong and his expressions in various photos.... Moi's personal favourites rank in preference...

1) Breakfast - Showing a farmer taking his breakfast..i love the light and the shadows.

Both Papa Smurf and Brainy were questioning what's that bottle on the table in the photo was... ARGH!! It's Salt, dears.

2) Shy - Group of little girls at play...i love the Symmetrical.

3) Schoolboys - Love their laughter and their inquisitive peering at the lens.

4) Listening - Love the light shadows and focus on the background instead of the foreground.

5) After School - The long shadow... it just makes the brain wonders.

6) Moment of Truth - It also focus on the background instead of the foreground. Never fails to captivate me.

CityBoy likes his photos in B&W... he finds colors "distracting". He is truly inspiring... giving up his job as a professional documentary filmographer to become a freelance photo Journalist.... for the hope that his photos will be voices for his subjects. Noble!!

The photographs are also included in “Pilgrims”, a book by Tan Lai Yong, a humanitarian doctor who has received numerous awards for training thousands of barefoot doctors in the remotest villages of China, as well as for his community development and leprosy work. It is hoped "Pilgrims" will raise funds and awareness for the work of HealthServe Community Clinic, a volunteer health clinic in Geylang that serves the sex worker and migrant construction worker communities in the area.



If you are free, do drop by...

Borderlines: Life In A Chinese Village
15 to 24 February
The Substation Gallery
11am to 8pm daily
Admission: Free
Co-presented by The Substation & the Artists