GEORGE TOWN, Aug 3 — It is not easy for Malaysian photographers to be part of an international dialogue in the photography field, said photographer Ian Teh.
The award-winning photographer said this makes it difficult for Malaysian photographers to compare their work with peers from other parts of the world.
It is only with the introduction of Obscura Festival that Malaysian photographers are given this international platform, he said.
“This festival fundamentally allows you that opportunity and access,” he said.
Teh, who has conducted masterclasses in Obscura for several years, said the festival aims to educate and foster a community to provide Malaysians and practising photographers in the region a way to develop intelligently and not in isolation.
“It then becomes a forum for creativity and an opportunity to develop standards in best practice,” he said in an email interview with Malay Mail.
He said the festival will create an outward ripple effect as the industry develops in time in the region.
This will also raise standards within the industry as well as the creative field, he added.
He believed there is much room for growth in the photography field in Malaysia and Asia.
“The medium is young and undeveloped here, but there are already important practitioners from Asia who have gained recognition for their work internationally,” he said.
Yet, the use of photography as a language that documents and comments on society is still lacking, Teh said.
“Even our own histories and documentation is dominated by the west, it is time we contributed our voice to that dialogue,” he said.
He admitted that there are a few successful practitioners in Malaysia but the industry as a whole is more of a “desert”.
“There just aren’t enough institutions within the industry that can offer creative and intelligent advice for starting professionals and pros alike,” he said.
He said this is the reason why Obscura Festival is the key in developing and providing some of the important “flora and fauna” in this “desert”.
He commended Obscura Festival director Vignes Balasingam for the great ideas presented in the festival.
“Many of these ideas and the festival’s core goals are a challenge to sustain if there isn’t financial support, so I would say that getting that support is the main priority for the festival to implement and maintaining its core programmes and goals,” he said.
Teh will be conducting a masterclass, “The Process, The Narrative, Your Journey”, in Penang on August 6.
Obscura Festival, held in conjunction with George Town Festival, starts on August 25 until August 31.
Find out more about the festival at obscurafestival.com.
