Visitors checking out Japanese photographer Moe Suzuki's 'Sokohi' exhibition at GMBB in Kuala Lumpur. It is part of Exposure+ Photo festival's exhibition programme. Photo: All Is Amazing
Shutterbugs and art lovers are invited to join Kuala Lumpur’s biggest city-wide celebration of photography, the Exposure+ Photo festival, now in its second edition.
Stretching over two weekends until Oct 1, the 10-day festival takes place across 10 venues, including popular art and creative hubs such as GMBB, REXKL, KLoe Hotel, the Zhongshan Building and Temu House (in Petaling Jaya).
The programme, featuring 20 artists, includes a range of engaging activities, such as workshops, portfolio reviews, talks, presentations and photo walks. Other than the workshops and portfolio review, all the activities are free admission – all you need to do is register online beforehand.
The main attraction is the exhibition, featuring works by 20 local and international artists that were selected from over 160 open call submissions under the theme, A Different Light.
“The festival's focus is primarily on photography projects, including videos, that resonate with our audiences where personal experiences and storytelling come together visually in the form of photographic self-expression," says Nadirah Zakariya, Exposure+ Photo co-founder.
“The theme was primarily chosen because we wanted a theme broad enough that it could be open to interpretation by different genres of photography. We also wanted a theme that would attract fresh ideas and something that you could take anywhere, depending on your interpretation or imagination,” she adds.
Exposure+ Photo is an independent initiative that operates on a non-profit basis and collaborates with sponsors, partners and supporters to offer Malaysian photographers a platform to showcase their work. Photo: All Is Amazing
This year’s panel of judges include prominent names in the photography industry, such as Ihiro Hayami, director of T3 Photo Festival Tokyo, and Carol Korting, photo editor of Leica Fotografie International (LFI) magazine.
“We have managed to narrow it down to the top 20 deemed as best representing the theme for this year’s festival, with compelling personal stories and strong accompanying visuals,” says Steven Lee, the festival’s other co-founder.
Here's what to expect at Exposure+ Photo 2023:
PORTFOLIO REVIEW
Venue: KLoe Hotel
Date: Sept 24, 11am to 1pm
The festival presents its first professional portfolio review session, where local photographers will get the unique opportunity to have their work critiqued and assessed by international and Malaysian reviewers in one-to-one 20-minute sessions.
ARTIST WALK-THROUGH SESSIONS
Venue: Various locations and time slots
Date: Sept 23 and 24
Selected exhibiting artists will personally take you on a tour through the artists gallery, namely Sinsee Ho, Long Wen Chen, Alvin Wong, Aiman Saror, Theyvapaalan Jayaratnam, Nicholas Sheum, Laurence Cabantous, Shan Shan Lim and Justin Tay.
PHOTOBOOKS EXHIBITION and PANEL DISCUSSIONS
Venue: BookXcess, REXKL
Date: Sept 30 and Oct 1
Come and browse a selection of photozines and books by Malaysian artists from the collection of Photo Book Club Kuala Lumpur (PBCKL). There will also be panel discussions, covering topics such as the process of creating a photobook (from ideation to publishing) and a tribute to tom yam shops, which have become a place of refuge for people fleeing from violence.
Exposure+ Photo is a city-wide photography festival, with 10 locations in Kuala Lumpur hosting main and satellite events. Photo: All Is Amazing
NEW TAKES ON OLD MASTERS: A TALK BY MELISSA BAKSH
Venue: Triptyk
Date: Sept 23, 4.30pm
The hour-long talk will explore how contemporary photography has been inspired by, referenced or remade Old Master paintings from the Western European tradition. Art historian Melissa Baksh will lead the audience through examples from contemporary art, film, television, music and fashion to reveal how present-day culture continues to be informed by paintings from the past.
ROZOU PROJECT: STREET PROJECTIONS
Venue: various locations
Date: Sept 22 and 23 and Sept 26, 8pm-9pm
Founded by Japanese street photographer Tadashi Onishi in the streets of Shinjuku, Tokyo, the Kuala Lumpur edition of the "Rozou Project" street projections will take place over three sessions in different locations. The projections will feature selected photographs taken in the streets and alleys of Kuala Lumpur.
Exposure+ Photo is an independent initiative that operates on a non-profit basis and collaborates with sponsors, partners and supporters to offer Malaysian photographers a platform to showcase their work and to share the importance of photography to visitors from all walks of life.
