VICTOR'S
TRIUMPH (Info)
by
TV Smith
05/06/05
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to Victor's Triumph
Triumph
In The Face Of Disability
The
photographs as a celebration
The images in this collection are a photographic
portrait of a small
group of the disabled in Malaysia and Thailand. They show
how each of
the subjects has prevailed over physical and mental obstacles to
gain
a degree of mastery in a sporting event or a medium in the creative
arts.
It is a visual celebration of their triumph. It is also a
recognition of their
worth – as human beings who have 'earned' our
respect through their own
efforts no matter how physically and
mentally misshapen and uncoordinated they
might be.Is
this just another photographic display?
If there is another role these
photographs can play, it is in the way,
one hopes, it changes our attitude
towards the disabled body as not
being an 'uplifting' sight, as something that
should be edited out of
the public eye. Each of the images shows a proud and
dignified person
neither disguising nor emphasizing his or her disability.
This is not
to suggest that these visual documents of the disabled be elevated
into
something we are obliged to esteem and admire. Our society would
be a better
one if our deferential outlook for the abled or the
disabled bodies is transformed
– where the abled and the non-abled,
where art and non-art become one. About
the photographer
Victor Chin is a multi-media artist. His early watercolours
of
Malaysian shophouses drew attention to the need for a more humane
urban
conservation policy for those pre-war buildings in our towns and
cities. He
has moved on to larger acrylic paintings of both abstract
and representational
subjects. Writing about art is also part of his
interest and his collection
of essays from 1996 to 2003 will be
published later this year. The
camera has always been a useful tool in his productions but
recently his photographs
have become another medium for his visual
expression. He is a co-author of
Chinatown Map 1 and Burning Our
Bridges. His last display of photographs, Triumph,
was shown at the
International Festival of Photography – Asia, in Dhaka,
Bangladesh,
2004. Triumph (with additional photographs) is his first solo
exhibition. He
is currently an honorary fellow at the Institute for Environment
and Development
(LESTARI), UKM. 04
to 12 June, 2005
(Endorsement event, Saturday 4 June, 3pm)
Balai Seni Lukis
Negara,The National Art Gallery, 2 Jalan Temerloh,
Kuala alumpur Tel: 03 4025
4990 16
June to 9 July, 2005
Badan Warisan Malaysia, 2 Jalan Stonor, Kuala Lumpur,
Tel: 03 2144 9273 16
July to 21 August, Kimi Gallery Café, 80 Jln. Burhanuddin Helmi,
Taman
Tun Dr Ismail, Tel: 03 7722 5585 Supported
by
The National Art Gallery,
Badan Warisan Malaysia,
Malaysian
Paralympic Council, Ministry of Culture Thailand, Art for All Camp Sponsors
Applied
Imaging • Kodak • Malaysia
Central (MyCen)
Back to Victor's Triumph
©
2005 TV SMITH
Link to this article: http://www.tvsmith.net.my/duasen/050605_victor.html
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