I heard that one of my friend was organising an exhibition at the new Nikon Centre opposite Low Yat Plaza starting last weekend. I got curious and decided to have a look. I was in clinic during the opening event, so I made do with a quiet visit.
It was Monday but it was a public holiday for Thaipusam. The town was rather quiet despite the gorgeous sunny weather. The Nikon Centre itself was quiet when I entered, allowing me to have a look in peace.
The exhibit featured four photographers who mainly do the bulk of their work locally. Despite the venue, I doubt that all of them used Nikon.
The place itself was small but cosy. None of the staffs there bothered me when I walked by, especially since I had with me a camera - which was not a Nikon. The theme appeared open. But a couple of the exhibits worth commenting on. The first was a series by Wang Seok Mui. He was a third generation Chinese Malaysian and he along with cousins went to China in search of his ancestral village and the series of photos documented the journey. I felt that the narrative was still unfinished and it was something worth pursuing. The photos were simple but atmospheric, richly printed. Personally, it would have been better if the story was told in a more elaborate series of photos. Maybe in the years to come, there would be a closure to the storyline.
The second one was on the work by Fitri Jalil. He tried to explore the meaning and ultimately the distinction between being a Malay and Moslem in contemporary Malaysia.He had some good points but with only less than 10 prints on display, many "reading between the lines" were needed. He stopped short of going into the current elements of Arabinisation which seemed to be the rage nowadays.
On the whole, it was too short although sweet. Nothing earth shattering although the appeared to be more organised that the recent Guerrilla Exhibition at Avenue K. Would definitely be keen to see what Exposure+7 had to offer.
