A Photography Exhibition by Rachna Anand and Teo Chee Sern
With a special introduction by Tay Kay Chin

January 14 to February 4, 2004
11am to 7pm daily, except Sundays
Open to public, free admission

The night has fallen, a light drizzle has just passed. Wet roads, tired faces, strangers hurried by. Our journeys have ended, or have they just begun?

Artist's Statement: Rachna Anand
I was transplanted from India to Singapore in 1984. The aesthetics and sensibilities of art have been my constant companions for as long as I can remember. I have been very fortunate to have been nurtured in a family where self expression; creativity and discussions on philosophy and poetry were the norm. My life's search for the eternal truth is a very lonely pursuit and art and photography are my companions. They help me to articulate and interpret my thoughts. It is a constant struggle to be true to myself, to be able to express my experiences of the moment, the atmosphere and all my senses. Photography liberates me. It's amazing how the lens removes all barriers. Suddenly there is no distance between me and the subject.

Being a married woman, I usually only have time for my photography at night, after I have done my job as a wife and mom. I have tried to capture the night as I see it as a woman venturing out alone in the late hours. This is my Night Shift.

Artist's Statement: Teo Chee Sern
When I was 17, my friend's father gave his old National Geographic magazines to me. I was instantly impressed by the kind of visuals the world has to offer. I set out to travel as much as I could, only that I never came back with the same kind of pictures. Frustrated, and after long consideration, I decided to invest in an SLR when I turned 21 and I have never looked back since.

Low Life was born out of my curiosity about space in land-scarced Singapore. It used to be just the underground passes. Then the MRT. Then the basement 1,2,3 and so on of the shopping arcades. Now we have the Link Mall. Reclaimation as gone as far as it can. Has the underground become part of Singaporeans' daily life? I went to find out ...

Introduction by Tay Kay Chin

Any outsider looking into one of our classes could well mistook it for a religious retreat. On the eight occasions that we met, we never finished on time. Neither did we get much done. It is not surprising that some people have described our journey as recreational. Going by the numbers, this is a rough breakdown: 70% talking, 10% reading, 10% coffee breaks, 9% editing, 1% hands-on demo. Not content with our little gatherings, we invited to our meetings Bruce Davidson, W. Eugene Smith, Brassai, Chang Chien Chi, and a few others. We talked about life, death, race, money, sex, politics, career and family. Occasionally, we bitched about people we know. Now we know why only two persons enrolled for this course (we don’t like to mention that one left half-way after trying to put up with us). More numbers: Chee Sern turned up one day with 20 ideas, of course we didn’t manage to finish discussing even three. Rachna bought an idea from Chee Sern, except she didn’t pay with money, but instead she just had to listen to Chee Sern whine :) However, our little private excursion was interrupted when concerned parents complained that their kids were having too much fun. To calm their fears, I had to do a “live” demo on fill-in flash in the opposition heartland - Potong Pasir. Before we know it, the course came to an end.

To prove their innocence, Rachna & Chee Sern decided to do this exhibition. They actually requested that I exhibit with them but I said, “How can? I Hasselblad master you know.” So, I compromised by agreeing to pen this little note. No, seriously, I am delighted to have participated in this little experiment. Some kind souls have warned me many times before that my ideas and methods are too radical for Singapore. I was told that Singaporeans don’t read, thus the readings I assigned would not be followed. Not only did they read but they came back class after class with their own views, resulting in lively exchanges and debates. I told the duo countless times that good photographers always have original ideas and always have something to say. I hope that you will agree with me that their works are, at the very minimum, attempts to have a voice.