Mud & Mashed Hydrangea Leaves And Salad Of Dandelion Greens By Eiffel Chong

Text and Images courtesy of Richard Koh Fine Art (RKF)

Richard Koh Fine Art, Kuala Lumpur : 16 – 30 August 2018

Richard Koh Fine Art (RKFA) is pleased to announce Mud & Mashed Hydrangea Leaves And Salad Of Dandelion Greens, an upcoming exhibition by Malaysian photographer Eiffel Chong scheduled to run from 16 – 30 August 2018 at Richard Koh Fine Art, 229, Jalan Maarof, Bukit Bandaraya, Bangsar 59100, Kuala Lumpur.

The exhibition will present a series of multi panelled and large format still life photography works executed during his teaching stint in Thailand last year. The Opening Reception will take place on Thursday, 16 August, from 5 – 8pm.

Encountering anomalies upon returning to a favoured city, Eiffel’s most recent body of works document the shift in his impression towards one of the world’s top tourist destination, Thailand. Invited to Chiang Mai for a 3-month teaching assignment, the artist’s eager visit to the country’s capital resulted him returning with a conflicted internal battle. Coupled with the affirmations around the reason most cityfolk had decided to move to the outskirts, this prompted Eiffel to embark on a journey to observe and express the shifting worldviews taking place in a foreign environment.

Eiffel Chong
An Antidote To Solitude & A Sort Of Hallucination: SWEET
2018
C-Type Photographic Paper
76.2 x 60.96 cm

These photography works serve as a documentation of flowers composed in various forms to convey Eiffel’s preoccupation with individuality, life happenings and mortality. These images of flowers: papermade, packed, withering and otherwise deformed, are anything but the general consensus of beauty. The artist’s manipulation and intent is apparent in each heavily manicured arrangement, blown up into larger than life prints that maintain their reality and waning presence.

Eiffel Chong
The Colour Of Wound & Diseases #2
2018
C-Type Photographic Paper
101.6 x 127 cm

Eiffel’s floral arrangements, antropomorphised and staged by the artist to suggest a keen sense of interaction is devoid of human presence. They are executed in an aesthetic stoic and solemn, often familiarly associated with Eiffel’s unique style. Juxtaposed against a backdrop of attention grabbing colors, the artist’s removal from the artwork beckons for scrutiny, an invitation into an arena that some might deem too close for comfort. A closer look at the suggestive title would unveil the conditions that each flower responds to, a nod to the rollercoaster ride that life hands out to the best of us.

Eiffel Chong
Years Of Mourning
2018
C-Type Photographic Paper
63.5 x 157.48cm (50.8 x 63.5 cm each)

Mud & Mashed Hydrangea Leaves And Salad Of Dandelion Greens sets the stage for us to
delve further into the artist’s psyche and his rumination of life through the language of flowers.

Eiffel Chong (b. 1977, Kuala Lumpur) graduated with an MA in International Contemporary Art and Design Practice from the University of East London and a BA (Hons) in Photography from London College of Printing. He is the 2nd Prize Winner in Category D for the Nikon Photo Contest 2014-2015, Japan, the finalist for the Asia-Pacific Photobook Award 2015, Australia and Sovereign Asian Art Prize 2014, Hong Kong. He was awarded The Man Of The Year 2016 by AugustMan magazine, Art Category. His recent exhibitions include ‘After Image: Contemporary Photography From Southeast Asia’, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore; ‘Others & Me: Contemporary Photography Exhibition’, Sharjah Art Museum, Sharjah, UAE; and ‘Malaysian Eye’, Whitebox Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Besides his pursueing his photographic work, Chong is highly engaged with the Malaysian photographic community; taking on the role of mentor for the Nikon Shooting Stars programme and Exposure+Workshop. He sat on the panel of judges for the Kuala Lumpur Photography Awards 2013 & 2016 and 2017 Nikon Annual Photo Awards, Malaysia.