JENNY CHU : Featured Artist

YEABU'S HOMECOMING : A Documentary Report from Sierra Leone by Jenny Chu

Bio : Jenny Chu (half Malaysian) recently earned her master's degree from U.C. Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism. After spending years as a still photographer, she recently shifted her focus to documentary film. For her photographic work, she has traveled extensively, documenting the ethnic minority groups of China, the massive changes overtaking Shanghai, and the struggles of those in war-torn and poverty-stricken African countries.

I met Jenny in 2001 when she exhibited her black and white photographs of interior China at the lightgallery. Jenny hails from California and has traveled extensively to China, documenting the vast landscapes and peoples from the minorities, and also the contrasts of modern Shanghai, where she has relatives. She comes across as a shy and unassuming person but tenaciously streetwise and intelligent. After all, traveling alone across Africa and China has made her knowledgeable and focused in her work, as a still photographer.


Watch her latest video (click the link above), following Yeabu's journey, a farmer from Sierra Leone, who suffers from obstetric fistula, a common problem in Third World countries, to Freetown to receive surgery from a team of doctors funded by Mercy Ships.

I found it highly informative and well put together.

Bravo, Jenny!

Lana Ṧlezić at Canada House : Featured Artist

I took some time off to pay a visit to Trafalgar Square to photograph the lying snow that covers the whole of London currently. It is such a rare sight for us that it warrants a freezing train ride and slow and treacherous walk along icy pavements to get there. The fountains were frozen and tourists were snapping away in the crisp morning light.

As I walked by Canada House adjacent to the Square, I noticed there was a photography exhibition going on in their gallery space and ventured in.


Lana Slezic is a daughter of a Croatian family that emigrated to Canada in the 60s. After studying at the University of Western Ontario Lana took 6 months travelling across Asia and then returned to Canada to study photojournalism in 1999. She is now an independent photojournalist covering stories for various journals, and magazines, and has won numerous awards in her documentary images including 3rd Place in the World Press Photo Awards 2008 for Portraits.


Her show, Forsaken documents the life of normal Afghani women. In her own words:

"In the end, it is the women and girls who suffer the most. It was my greatest privilege to share in their lives and learn from their often earnest and palpable stories - hearth breaking on so many occasions and hopeful in few. This is a selection from the body of work which was published in September 2007. Forsaken tells the stories that Afghan women cannot tell themselves.''

The photographs are very personal and close to the subject, much like Chang Chien-Chi's images, but because they are in colour, it has a further sense of realism. Her use of faded colours and subdued lighting only heightens the palette of a nation in distress, with much of desperation and hope.Her portraits are candid and well composed, and her story-telling text is compelling.

'Masema is a police woman in Kabul, whose responsibilities involves investigating cases involving women.'

'Gulsuma was 4 years old when her stepfather sold and married her off to a six year old boy's family in Kandahar. She was beaten, isolated and treated as a slave for the next 7 years by his family until she escaped one night when her stepfather threatened to kill her. Today at 11, she is the only female in an orphanage in Kandahar.'

'Malalai is one of the only police woman in Kandahar. Unlike other women in the region, Malalai works alongside men, apprehending criminals and restoring justice in one of the most dangerous cities in the nation. When working outside her home and office she is always armed beneath her burka.'

'Women shop for clothes at a market at Mazar-e-Sharif. Beneath their burkas, those who can afford to, pay close attention to the latest fashions.'

'With no other place to go, young girls play in an old destroyed building in Kabul, built by the Soviets before the Taliban regime. The building is now home to 105 families who returned from Pakistan three years ago. The men are virtually unemployed and struggle day to day to feed their families.'

'Wind blows through a makeshift school in Kabul'

All images ⓒ Lana Slezic

Forsaken
Canada House Gallery
Trafalgar Square
London, SW1Y 5BJ
Telephone: 0207 258 6421
Fax: 0207 258 6476
November 27, 2008 – February 20, 2009
Monday to Friday, 10:00 – 18.00 (17:30 for last admission)

Featured Artist Series : Deanna Ng

Bali Pasar 07 series © Deanna Ng

My recent trip short trip to Singapore served as an introduction to me in various ways. I was to visit the Biennale, which I will post later. The other was to meet some photographers and galleries in the City; one, being freelance photographer Deanna Ng. (www.deannang.com)

I came across Deanna's work through her website whilst researching into the photography scene in the Island City. We met at Bugis MRT one evening, and talked about how she came into photography only some 3 years ago, and she now teaches basic photography classes at Objectifs, which we visited, a short walk away. Deanna shoots with a Rolleicord TLR camera and also a digital Nikon DSLR, and freelances commercially, working on medium term projects as well as fitting in with her love for travel. She told me she had just returned from Vietnam, and will be going to South India at the end of the week on a photo workshop.

She describes herself as a documentary photographer, specialising in people, portraits and offbeat travel images. This is a pretty accurate definition from what I can gather from her series on street markets in Singapore, Bali and Siem Reap. Her observational skills are impeccable whilst the 'off-centre' framing and sloping horizontals adds to her signature.

Padang, Indonesia 2006 © Deanna Ng

She eluded that it may be easier for a camera totting female to get more intimate shots than her male counterparts, especially in street markets where her non-threatening and approachable demeanor with her subjects takes on a friendly rapport. The 'hit and run' approach to street photography that so many of us often practice means little for Deanna, preferring the 'ask first, then shoot' philosophy.

Jimmy, Singapore © Deanna Ng

By gaining the subject's confidence and connecting through conversation, this allows the photographer a new avenue of opportunity in obtaining different images, often, much more relaxed and unposed pictures as can be seen in her work and in many of the great documentary photographers that we know.

Pit, No.2. Moberly, Missouri © Deanna Ng

In 2006, Deanna was selected to participate in the prestigious Missouri Photo Workshop as an International Participant. Her photo-essay project 'Pit' covered a typical American pastime...stockcar racing on a Saturday night, photographing families in trailers, racing cars and the local enthusiasts. Undoubtedly, she has gained from that experience, as a documentary photographer. By immersing herself within the life story, her pictures are worth more than those taken by a mere visitor.

STEVEN TERMINI : Featured Artist Series

This is my first FEATURED ARTIST post in this blog, to share with my readers, of friends and acquaintances whose natural artistic talents have astounded and impressed me. Photography and the performing arts, be it poetry, drama, dance, or music can influence each other, and quite often, these disciplines intertwine indirectly and have been doing so over the centuries.

I have known Steven Termini for close to 10 years now.

Truly, this man's a genius.

A master of the piano, a composer, a classicist musician, jazz artist and an improviser.

Steve, as I call him hails from Texas, USA and studied with Tatiane Sarkissova at the Royal Academy of Music, in London. He is an unassuming person, eccentric at times and terribly focussed in his convictions but tremendously good fun to be with, and you can't help but laugh at his Southern drool, but he admits he loves London, and England. Not surprising, since he was practically living the life of a perpetual student over here!

It was Steve who introduced me to the works of jazz maestro, improviser-supremo Keith Jarrett, who became a personal influence to his own music, and the subject of his research in his Masters degree.

I have always loved jazz music, the mainstream kind which one buys in compilation CDs like Jazz Greats, Greatest Jazz songs etc but with Keith Jarrett, you have to grow to appreciate his genius on the piano.

Like, the joy of skiing, once it hits you, you'll be blown away! I promise.

Steve just launched his website, www.steventermini.com and there are some audio works and videos you can sample and download. I photographed a few of his publicity images several years ago which have been included. I was then still pre-digital, so I think I used a Konica Hexar with Fuji Neopan 400, my favourite black and white film. All of the photos were taken at the Academy in available natural light, and that included a practice session with Korean Sun Roh, another brilliant violinist, whom Steve had performed with on several occasions internationally.

The sight of Sun and Steve performing on stage is mesmerising. One does not require much knowledge in classical music to appreciate the passion and raw talent that emanates from the hearts, minds and hands of these two musicians.

I urge you to watch this video in its entirety (10:49s), to understand but only a little, of what drives Steve to pursue his dream and what motivates his song-writing. He has certainly influenced me in my own work, and that is to be passionate but spontaneous about it and persevere, even through the darkest and loneliest of times.

© IceWater Productions

I hope Steven Termini will also inspire you in your own quest. Photography and music, both are disciplines which require foresight and practice, and both requiring the mastery of tools. We often hear that 'practice makes perfect'. The quest for perfection at least for me, is unattainable, but to a pianist like Steve it is imperative. His improvisational scores requires it, and anything less would be classed as failure.