Kopi Susu

The name invoked a lazy Sunday afternoon enjoying a warm drink while watching the time pass by. That was also the title of an exhibition at White Box Publika of the work by the artist Soraya Yusof Talismail.

I thought that the subject matter would be happy faces and jovial scenes. Far from that. It was more of Kampung scenes, devoid of people. Just you and nature. And no coffee in sight.

I just missed the forum when I entered. The artist was still in the hall speaking to the visitors.All the photos were monochromic, hence the reference to Kopi Susu or Latte. It was more of the technical process of printing in the end I think. And that may explain the size of the prints. They were too small for the subject matter for my liking. This point was brought home by the impact from a few of the prints which were bigger. Those carried more impact!

There were around 20 artworks on display but no narrative. 

I was there on a Sunday but due to work, I missed the couple of forums organised for the day to supplement the exhibition. Maybe if I were to attend those, I would have appreciated the program a bit more.

Now, this how big the prints should be ....Some background reading and information would have helped a great deal to those casual art and photography lovers like myself. As it was, it was not worth the effort for me going out of my way to see it.

The KLPF 2017

*The event was held in November 2017*

It was in Pudu last year. And this year the venue changed again, to Publika near Hartamas. I managed to get there on the final day and from what I could see, it was near the end. Some of the exhibitors had started packing up.

On the whole, the setup was a strange one. They had a stage by the Publika entrance and the organiser utilised both White and Black Box as well as the corridors in between. Certainly it wasn't purpose-built. The stalls were peppered around the spaces while certain corners were turned into lecture rooms. Not ideal with the light and sound pollution. It was tricky to listen to talks at times.

Started out at the courtyard The list of contributors Inside the Black BoxBut I was very impressed by the quality of work on display. The printing were mostly excellent and the organiser really put the effort on getting plenty of photographs for exhibition. You could see photos on display everywhere from the walls in the hall as well as at the annexes outside.

I only spent an hour there and I was surprised that Alice Smith having their photography club present at one of the booths. I spent some time chatting with one of the teachers as well as an old boy who was now pursuing a degree in Photography in Hong Kong.

One of the many talks ...Exhibits everywhere ...Even my boy's school took part ...Not as big as the ones when it was hosted in Mid Valley. Back then, you could find all sorts of things to try. I remembered having a go at the Ricoh GR for the first time there. I was hoping to be able to hold the GF50s. Unfortunately none was available although I could see plenty of Fuji products at the exhibition. Maybe sponsorship these days were limited.

That's brighterPeering inMore talks ...If you were exploring around for a gear, don't think that the KLPF is the spot. If the organiser was clearer on their objective and vision, I think the festival can really move further ahead. Hopefully they remain at the same spot next year ...