開幕時間 / Opening :
6月21月(星期六/Saturday) 下午三時半
3:30pm, 21 June 2008
展期 / Exhibition Period :
2008年6月21月至7月27日
21 June to 27 July, 2008
一切都可以從對話開始。
用影像道出的「故事」對話， 用各自不同的攝影語言對話，更以相互的獨特發現對話。
這樣的對話讓我們的視野又拓寬了些，從小城出發到了遙遠的巴西；也讓我們的視覺經驗又豐富了些：原來用紙盒造的相機可以拍出這種效果來！同時讓我們透過作品對作者的創作旅程多了層認識，這不是挺有趣的嗎？
先見到一位作者從遙遠的國度向我們招手，走近一看，呵，巴西，一處熟悉也陌生的地方， 而這位來自葡國年青好動的Maria Soares 又是如何看這個同樣講葡語的地方的？巴西，讓我們馬上想起球王比利、想起森巴舞嘉年華，還自然想到那位老大哥葡萄牙。喜歡攝影的Maria先是用好奇的、不帶太多色調的目光去看，看得徹底也看得別緻，看到另一個不太認識的巴西，我們太需要這種較特別又專注的目光了，透過攝影這種媒介，用上自己的攝影語言，去表達那些無法以其它語言代替的感覺，她的照片令我想起Wim Wenders的公路電影，都是看似隨意的漫遊偶遇，可是看在他們眼裡的那個普通地方又會讓人產生不一樣的聯想，就如Maria在車上拍到的沿路景緻，讓我們領會到巴西的一些建築特色，也引發我們不妨用上非慣性的觀察方式去看看太熟悉的景物，這太重要了，現在的澳門不是讓人產生好多「新鮮感」嗎？大家也可以找另一種方式去重新看自己習慣了的地方，那才叫有趣呀。
而展場裡的另一位Artist施明坤，她又是如何看攝影這種表現工具的呢？
這次她用上了針孔相機—這個不太正統的攝影工具—以近乎遊戲的方式去發現這部自制相機的奧秘，原來在不能完全操控狀態下的相機，如果純以試驗的態度去與它合作，且願意實驗，試著換個角度去尋找其它的表現方式，但也真的能讓人有些意外的驚喜，這也是藝術創作常讓人喜歡親近她的原因。這次Frankie用自制針孔機拍了些身邊不起眼的景和物，當這些不太上鏡的景物一旦被攝進紙盒，再變身為影像時，竟然此物非物了，早就搖身一變成為具某種表現力的影像了，雖稍為粗燥模糊，但又十分另類，讓我們眼睛頓時亮了又亮。
原來當攝影這一藝術表現形式能跳出某些較為陳舊的框架時，一樣可以吸引人看得久些，看後心有所得，惹人暇想。
Self-pursuit
– The Explorations of Two Young Photographers
All begins with dialogue.
Dialogues between stories produced by images, or personal languages of photography or even each other’s unique discoveries.
Such dialogues bring us on a trip to faraway Brazil, broadening our vision and also enriching our visual experiences. And this kind of effect can be achieved by a camera made from a paper box! Moreover, from these dialogues we may better understand the artists’ creative journeys. Isn’t it very interesting?
The first photographer is waving at us from a country afar. Only when we get closer do we realize: eh! it’s Brazil, a land both familiar and strange to us. How does young and vibrant Maria Soares see this Portuguese-speaking nation? Brazil reminds us of Pelé, the King of Football, of Samba dancing and Carnival, and of course of its older big brother, Portugal. Maria, who loves photography, at first observes the country with curiosity yet in a light color tone. By observing Brazil deeply and in a delicate way, she shows a Brazil that looks unfamiliar to us. For us in Macao, this kind of observation, more distinct and focused, is rather urgent. With the media of photography and using her own language, Maria delivers the expression of her feelings, which cannot be interpreted by any other language. Her photos make me remember the road movies of Wim Wenders. They both randomly shoot objects fond during a wandering, but these ordinary subjects beheld in their eyes do encourage our fantastic imagination. For example, the scenes along the road taken from inside a car not only give us a glimpse of some architectural characteristics of Brazil, but also inspire us to observe the very familiar settings in an unconventional manner. This is exactly the key. While today’s Macao gives people ‘a sense of novelty’, we can also try to find a different way to retake this very familiar place. It could be a very interesting exercise.
Yet what does the other artist, Si Meng Kuan(Frankie), think of photography as an expression tool?
This time she uses a pinhole camera – a kind of unconventional photography apparatus – to discover the secrets of a hand-made gadget through a playful approach. It proves that a semi-controlled camera, if simply rendered with an experimental attitude and a will to discover other expression ways through different perspectives, will certainly give you surprises, making artistic creation so enjoyable and attractive. With a hand-made pinhole camera Frankie takes pictures of some very ordinary and usually unnoticed landscapes and things. Once captured in the paper box, the images become infused with a kind of (strong) expression power, looking unexpectedly different. Though a bit coarse and diffuse, they are so unsual that will keep sharpening our eyes over and over.
In the end, if photography as an artistic tool can break out from its older molds, then it can also captivate audiences better, infusing them with imagination and inspiration.
