TRIBUTE TO humanity
Through the lens of nstp photographers |
THE cavernous gallery is as still as a tomb. With my footsteps echoing through the dimly-lit hall, the images rise before me, stark and compelling. From the birth of a child, the triumphs and failures of a nation, to tragedies, victories, vignettes of daily life as well as reactive news and feature works, the evocative and striking selection of photographs scratch only the surface of the breathtaking body of work compiled by the New Straits Times photography desk over the past few decades. A Tribute To Life photo exhibition comprises part of the country’s oldest and pre-eminent newspaper’s huge archives of photographs taken over years of faithful reporting.
“Some of these are exclusive and have never been shown to the public before. These images, a compilation of published and unpublished photographs by our awardwinning photojournalists, have been carefully selected to give visitors a glimpse into the value and quality of life,” reveals Azlynn Aziz, Galeri Prima’s manager and exhibition curator.
Photography is an evolving visual language. In reportage, it delivers comedy and satire as well as tragedy. Why are some photographs of quiet scenes of everyday life so memorable? Life is rich and unique because of the human story. And to feel the human story and all its intensity, you must engage wholeheartedly with the world. In doing so, places, people, and worldly emotions become much more tangible, intriguing and thoughtprovoking. Moroccan artist Bruno Barbey states this concept in the simplest of ways: “Photography is the only language that can be understood anywhere in the world.”
The affectionate look of a woman holding her cat, young boy fixing a tanglung (Chinese lantern) amidst a sea of brilliant red lanterns to usher in the Chinese New Year, a toddler embracing the coffin of his mother who perished in the MH17 tragedy, a fisherman throwing his net out to the sea at the break of dawn. They hold my attention in all their simplicity. Yet the message is powerful.
No other medium comes as close to the most real interpretation of time and location than photography. It’s a visual art form that captures events in real time and encloses history in frames that can spread across generations, forms of media and social spheres. As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. And in an editorial world dominated by words, pictures do matter.
Photojournalism can be best described as the illustration of an aspect of contemporary life by a series of pictures, usually in combination with a written story. Often, it reflects a strong social concern and sometimes it’s highly polemical.
History is well stocked with examples of photographers making a difference. In the 20th century, social housing, child labour, iniquitous working conditions, the custodial injustices of the asylum, apartheid, war and