Personal integrity and the 'art world'

below is an email i received from another photographer in melbourne who would like to see my photography shown in an exhibition he is curating. following that is my response...

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dear norm,

i'd love to see you shoot a model at night, perhaps after clubing, looking like they are just on their way home. shirt off back allys. look for places that dont' have a lot of people late at night and are well lit. This sort of work could elevate you into the art world.

the art world i interested in biography (of which yours in interesting) and doing something which has not been done before. stylised documentry, don't change the way you shoot change where you shoot.

In our discussions in HK you were interested in using your photography to elevate the position of Asian men in the world pop culture. to add more to the 'given-to-be-seen'  of images that people see. I'm very interested in your work, my feeling is that you need to find a vocabulary that is yours. that when people see ur photos they say "that's a norm yip." we should really

have this conversation in person, so i can make sure i don't cause any offence. as my friend would say, i'm pushing you, not letting you rest, making for a more interesting body of work.

just a thought.

cheers

garrie

my response back

hi garrie,

on the comment about 'that's a norm yip', i believe there are such remarks already...so i would disagree with you on that point. many do see a signature style that is developing...and people here in hk (at least) are trying to copy it. and besides...i don't think that it's necessarily a good thing when people say that...

my reasons for studio is one: to focus on the human body and form and to leave extraneous elements out of it, while also wanting natural expression from the model. i think i've done well capturing that in a variety of ways without the use of props and makeup/hair stylists. my second reason is, as i've mentioned, privacy.

as for the move to do more documentary style, that is a definite direction for me to pursue. but we'll see what happens with this, as much depend on people here in hk and elsewhere.

i'm rather particular with the guys i like to shoot; it's hard finding the right guy to work with. some guys have the body but no face...and vice versa. then there are ones that have it all, but don't want to allow their photos to be shown on my website nor book (they just want it for themselves to keep..of course, then i say, 'it'll cost you so and so...').

if you do come to having a certain theme in mind for the exhibition, then do let me know. I believe curatorial work can be very challenging, as i've done it before. always trying to be innovative and exciting. i'm open at this time to ideas as i've said, but not at the expense of artistic and personal integrity. if i think what i did sucked, i wouldn''t want to show it.

norm