Tan is set to exhibit her photography series at the 54th edition of the Rencontres d'Arles in France. - Photo: Handout
Filmmaker Tan Chui Mui will showcase her photography exhibition project Just Because You Pressed The Shutter? at the 54th edition of the Rencontres d'Arles in France.
The Rencontres d'Arles, founded in 1970, is a renowned international photography event. This year, the summer festival will run from July 3 to Sept 24.
Last November, Tan's project Just Because You Pressed The Shutter? – nominated by curator Wang Yiquan – won the 2022 Jimei x Arles Discovery Award in the 8th Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival in China.
She received a cash prize and was also invited to take the exhibition to this year’s Rencontres d'Arles. The Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival was launched in Xiamen in 2015 by Three Shadows Photography Art Centre and Rencontres d’Arles.
A general view of Tan's award-winning photography exhibition 'Just Because You Pressed The Shutter?'. - Guo Xiaodong
“The Malaysian artist Tan Chui Mui draws on her own Chinese descent and family stories to explore the profound but undefined issues of land, inheritance, ownership, and photography. By creating a multi-dimensional experience, her exhibition showcases the confusion, pursuit and questioning of identity among overseas Chinese in South-East Asia," outlines the exhibition's jury report.
Asma Manssouri, cultural coordinator at the Alliance Francaise of Kuala Lumpur says, "Tan will be one of the first Malaysian artists to be exhibited during the Rencontres d'Arles. We hope that Tan's upcoming exhibition in Arles will raise more interest towards the Rencontres d'Arles from our Malaysian counterparts and shed light on the Malaysian artistic scene for the French and international curators and artists."
Last December, Tan picked up the Best Actress award for her main role in the movie Barbarian Invasion (which she also directed) at the 32nd Malaysian Film Festival (FFM) Awards in Melaka.
