During 2005-2008 I frequently translated articles for the Indonesian based Visual Arts magazine. One of my favorite correspondents was Zhuang Wubin. Translating his articles always gave me a glimpse of knowledge over the world of art photography. This is one of several Zhuang Wubin's article I translated for Visual Arts in 2006. The Legends series were exhibited in Singapore Art Museum in April 2006.
From 1985 to 1988, Chua Soo Bin embarked on his personal project of photographing 14 of the most influential ink masters who had shaped 20th-century Chinese art. Making numerous trips to their homes and studios in Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the United States, Chua shot more than 200 rolls of film using his Nikon camera. His preference was to use ISO 1600 film, which gives his images a stark and grainy texture that is rather similar to Chinese ink paintings. The series was first shown at Singapore Art Museum (SAM) in 1989 and a Chinese photographic book titled Liuzhen: Portraits of Excellence was published. Over the years, the exhibition travelled to cities like Hong Kong, Taipei, Beijing, Hangzhou and Chongqing, amongst others. Earlier this year, the Singaporean photographer donated 18 photographs from the series to SAM. To commemorate the occasion, SAM presented the donation in an exhibition titled “Legends: Soo Bin’s Portraits of Chinese Ink Masters” from 31 March to 4 April 2006. The exhibition also coincided with the re-launch of his book in both Chinese and English editions.
Due to overwhelming popularity and positive feedback, the exhibition has been extended and a larger selection of 28 portraits has been featured at Soobin Art International at 140 Hill Street in Singapore from 30 April to 17 May.
On hindsight, the timing of Chua’s project to document the ink masters was impeccable. A few years later, China would re-emerge as an economic powerhouse. The spillover effects would be felt in all sectors, including China’s art scene. Today, domestic “consumption” of art and the eagerness of international curators to jump on the bandwagon continue to fuel the boom in her art market. In this context, Chua’s images have become very valuable as historical artifacts, particularly to collectors who follow the works of the featured ink masters and those who have a serious interest in Chinese art. Moreover, since his exhibition in 1989, all the ink masters featured in Chua’s project have passed away. However, it is not immediately clear if the aesthetic or artistic qualities of the photos themselves are equally appreciated. During the Mandarin forum held in conjunction with the recent exhibition, much of the dialogue between the photographer and the audience was dominated by the idiosyncrasies and personalities of the ink masters, with very little discussion on Chua’s photographs as art. This must somewhat be a letdown, given the fact that Chua received many accolades throughout his career as a photographer – becoming an Associate of the Royal Photographic Society of the United Kingdom as early as 1955, and receiving the Singapore Cultural Medallion in 1985.
At the same time, it is crucial to note that the images show, more than anything, the manner in which Chua Boo Bin looked at his subjects and the way he would have liked them to be remembered – clearly, with affection and respect – by future generations. Much as the publicity materials of the exhibition would have liked the audience to believe, Chua does not always take the approach of a photojournalist. In fact, his working methodology is closer to that of Russel Wong, who is a celebrity photographer. During the forum, the photographer talked about how he brought Zhu Qizhan (1892–1996) – who was the oldest ink master featured in Chua’s project – to a kindergarten so that he could achieve a contrast of young and old through the portrait. In the case of Guan Shanyue (1912-2000), Chua even went to the extent of inviting a sculptor to make a bust of the ink master as he took pictures. Chua is very much an active, though hidden, participant of his images.
“Photography is unlike cinema,” said 74-year-old Chua Soo Bin during the forum. “As a photographer, I need to create a climax for each image.”
Having said that, Chua’s approach does not really make his images more or less “real”. Manipulation has always been available as a technique, even in the analog age of photography. However, an artist working on Photoshop may create images of the “real” world to his or her audience in the same spirit as an honest photojournalist. Therefore, the onus is on the audience to question the integrity of creators rather than to believe blindly in the sanctity of images.
On the other hand, there are also many images in Chua’s series that reveal a level of intimacy between the photographer and the artists, which could not have been easily set up. One example is Chua’s photograph of Singapore pioneer artist Chen Wen Hsi burning his unsatisfactory works so that he would leave the best for posterity. Looking at Chua’s photograph, it is easy for a casual viewer to understand the anguish Chen must have felt as he looked on at the devouring flames.
