Larry is my high school classmate from Hong Kong. Little did I know that he had such a deep passion and talent for art. Since his move to Australia, he has successfully realized his potential in creativity through his leisure journey in self-taught photography. Our fellow schoolmates are all in awe by the artistic world captured through his lens.

In my mind, Larry is solemn and meticulous. His calmness empowers his alertness of precise characteristics in his surroundings. He is capable of instantaneously selecting the perfect angle when he approaches his subjects. Photography is a short and agile process that requires one to quietly observe yet quickly capture. Not only has Larry adopted this approach in capturing diverse sceneries, he patiently records each piece of work with high standards.

It is impossible to capture anything without light. An outstanding photograph can be achieved if one is skilled in the utilization of light. This exhibition showcases Larry’s photography of “light”; most of which are shot with lighting indoors or outdoors in the evenings. Unlike a sequential documentary, the images he captures are clear, authentic, and colourful.

Larry’s style of photography is to present the truth instead of modifying photos into abstract adaptations. As his objective is to express genuine emotions, it is contrary and difficult to accomplish through abstract images. Photographs do not convey the feelings of viewers, but the photographer’s own experience of the sceneries. His works often demonstrate the contrast of colours or shapes, such as light versus dark, big versus small, numerous versus scarce, horizontal versus vertical, circular versus square, red versus green, and yellow versus blue. Such patterns reflect his contemplation of happy and unhappy experiences in life: success and failure at work, good and poor results at school, and the beauty and ugliness of human beings. All these phenomena are normal and unavoidable.

Looking from another perspective, you cannot understand what is “big” if there is no “small”. Larry’s pieces in this exhibition highlight various contrasts, yet he purposely embellishes these realities. He seemingly employs photography to create a whole new world; one that is colourful, glamourous, and pleasing to the eye.

YEUNG Chun Tong
Director, Sun Museum