Clang. A Self Portrait


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zaren said:
as you said, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. what is good here to some people may seem crappy to you. likewise, you may think that JC's work is brilliant while many here will beg to differ. no problem at all.... it's freedom of speech and freedom of preference. :)
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Apparently you have to fight for freedom even in forums. :bsmilie:
 

Minoxman said:
A matter of taste it boils down to.
He must be doing something right all this while so he should go on doing it.
I just don't see why he should explain his work or apologize about not pleasing the crowd (from his last post). And he thinks that some are out to hate him because he has made it big is just a strange statement.
Take the critics and move on with it is what real artists do.
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Like what you mentioned above especially the last sentence.

'Take the critics and move on with it is what real artists do.'
 

While everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, pls bear in mind that personsal attacks and name-calling is not allowed. Before this thread degenerates further, this is a warning that subsequent posts will be removed and this thread locked.

On a personal level, I'd like to point out that John Clang's exhibition is a series of personal art works, not some commercial works. As with all forms of art, it's subject to personal interpretation, and while not everyone might not appreciate his choice of self-expression, it's his personal medium. The fact that JC is a successful photographer doesn't mean he has to produce commercially perfect works (I'd be quite disappointed if he did actually). This is not an exhibition of JC's past magazine shoots, it's his view on his world. Keep an open mind and try to see what the artist is trying to say and not how technically or compositionally competent the images are.

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.

The Moderator
ClubSNAP.org
 

But sir, we are not the artists, so we can stay. I believe however, JC has moved on to make his next million. ;)
 

Larry, I think you should just punish people who started calling others "trolls and jerks" etc instead of stopping a legitimate healthy discussion about how we perceive art.
Is locking a thread helping anything?
Just thinking aloud.
 

Though i may not fully appreciate John's exhibition in Singapore. His explaination in this forum helps me understand his work better. As for his commercial work, as long as there a paying customers for his work and for that matter to any person who make his living through photographer or as a freelance, it is honest money and should be respected for it. The fact that he has made a name for himself overseas without any help from the local authorities or any photographic club is a testament to how much and how hard he has worked over the years.

I see no point in discrediting him for his work. Yes, the things that he present during his exhibition in singapore may not appeal to everyone. But i believe it is the photographer's perogative to exhibit any works that he want to show to the public to express his emotions or personal opinions at the time.

The fact that he bothers to explain his works and his previous works to the singaporean audience in this tread show is willingness to share. He has no need to do so and have no reason to please us (unless you are paying his bills).

i am thankful that some singaporeans have the bravery and the mental strength to venture overseas and made a name for themselves. I am also thankful that some of them have not forgotten about their friends in Singapore.

If you show some tolerance to others, maybe next time someone might consider giving you a chance for success.
:)
 

He needed to explain his work because his work couldn't please some of us. If everyone was bowing high and low in this thread, I doubt he would have grace the stage to type.
 

and just what are you going on and on about?

do you want clang to give you a public apology or issue a press conference on your behalf?
 

That'll be good. Can you arrange?
 

minox, i actually share you opinion that i find the exhibition dissapointing but maybe you are too excessive in expressing your dislike.

we all see things differently, why not leave it as such and not carry the unhappiness any further.
 

zekai said:
minox, i actually share you opinion that i find the exhibition dissapointing but maybe you are too excessive in expressing your dislike.

we all see things differently, why not leave it as such and not carry the unhappiness any further.
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Ok.Let the good guys win. ;)
 

Thanks for the link, Mattlock. I agree that his commercial work is impressive, if not astounding. To be frank I had gone to see the exhibition expecting to see something along those lines, with a Singaporean flavour. Hence my disappointment.

Why did he choose not to apply the same skills to his personal art? Who can say? Maybe it's like the gynaecologist who hates having sex, or the chef who prefers to eat instant noodles for lunch, or the haute couturier who goes about in Giordano T-shirts. You can often have too much of a good thing.

As mentioned by someone else, it's really great to have the artist personally explain his pieces. Nothing beats the personal touch, which is greatly appreciated.

I remember in one interview, Clang was describing how he left an art school because the teacher had initially given him a low grade for some photos which were overexposed, but when he confronted her and explained that it was how he had intended it, for artistic effect, she had revised his grade to a higher one. The reason he gave for leaving the school was that the teacher "did not have an opinion" and could be easily persuaded to change her mind.

Well, I have my opinion on THIS particular exhibition, and it stays. I'm quite surprised that the cost was borne by Clang himself (I would have expected it to have been sponsored), but that only bears out his good intention to support the art of photography in Singapore, and I can only applaud this.
 

SS, as you may known already, artist have different ways to express themselves at different parts of their lives and and this could also be affected by what they want to relay to the crowds. I think it's reasonable to expect some deviation from JC's commercial work of his personal ones.
If he chose to show them in that exhibition, then it is also reasonable they be openly critiqued.
It can't be all good all the time, but most of the time all bad. ;)
 

I think Moderators should play the role of big daddy by locking this thread. It has served no useful purpose since Choon Leng has already spoken.
 

Wow , i'm suprised at thread and the controversy that its recieved. I have to mull on this on the way home. But just from looking at the thread ( and i haven't seen the work ) JC is just being honest, and he is his own client doing work and expressing himself ( and i think that's a really diffcult thing to do ).

Thus he is open to critics/comments. Just because its not your flavour doesn't mean its not good and thus crap, but i salute him for expressing himself in conservertive singapore.

Did he really have anything to gain? Or did he need anymore exposure in singapore?

I seriously doubt it.

And if you think u can "do it" and do it "better" .. why didn't you? The fact that i'm trying to make is that we didn't do it, and he did. He decided to share it with us and i think that is pretty darn good effort.

JC , there's nothing to aplogise about. In fact thanks for sharing n for stiring up such emotions. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: to you.
 

to the moderators, I think even though we may end up getting heated and call people a name or two, I think locking a thread based on that is just unhealthy for a forum. We are reasonable adults, we have our views, we will find a way to agree to disagree. Let us find our way.

I haven't had the chance to see the work up close and personal (only seen the exhibition on his website) but I have had the chance to see his commercial work posted around town over here. I remember the Dasani posters were huge, covering the side facade of a gigantic building.

I've been very biased in support for our artist but that's because I feel our artists don't get enough respect in our own country. did he pay for his own exhibition? that is really commendable, I didn't expect that.
Streetshooter, perhaps he did it in such a way because he felt that that method best suited the concept. Perhaps there's a reason they're snapshot like. Snapshots convey a certain sense of the past, we have all taken snapshots and we understand the emotional attachment we have to crappy photos of our kids running about taken with a cheap point and shoot camera. Perhaps the slightly faded colours are meant to convey some aspect of the past too.This is only my personal interpretation!
Do you think that if everything had been "beautifully" and "professionally" taken the effect would have been lost?

a good comparison may be with all the photoshop filter effects people throw in nowadays. It makes a piece less "technically perfect" if technical perfection = good lighting a good histogram sharp focus and nice depth of field, would you agree? But it brings about a different feeling in a piece.

Another thing, did anyone notice the beautifully muted colours that ran through the pieces in the exhibition? I'm very impressed by that and it seems to be a consistent thing he does in his commercial works too. And on the technical side, the out of focus background is really beautiful and mysterious

All in all being able to stir up such debate is a good sign. Perhaps his work has been more successful than we believe, by actually stirring up so many reactions from us :think:
 

thats the problem isnt it. alot of us likes to critic but when it comes down to actually doing the thing... we arent up for it coz ultimately we're afraid of failure..maybe thats y its easier to 'groom one's niece for success' instead of actually trying it ourselves. Some pple talk the talk but they just dont walk the walk. Just my humble 2 cents.
 

I see no reason why the thread should be lock, i really think we are all doing fine now, please don't cross the line ppls. :bsmilie:
 

mattlock said:
to the moderators, I think even though we may end up getting heated and call people a name or two, I think locking a thread based on that is just unhealthy for a forum. We are reasonable adults, we have our views, we will find a way to agree to disagree. Let us find our way.

All in all being able to stir up such debate is a good sign. Perhaps his work has been more successful than we believe, by actually stirring up so many reactions from us :think:
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:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

This how i feel-
We will never satisty all (be it ppl or anything).
Dun talk so much big stuff and take a good look at yourself in the mirror.

Btw, when you going to have your own exhibit? so dun talk too much.
 

zaren said:
if a photograph is good, it's good. it doesn't matter who the photographer is, and it doesn't have to wait for everyone else to reach a "higher level of understanding" to appreciate it.

:cool:
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Depending on who's looking at it, there's a difference u see, not just in terms of personal taste, but appreciation as well.
Maybe to illustrate my point simply...
I'm sure many photographers have experienced this at one time or another....
u take a picture....u really like it....but when u show it ur friends or family members (who're not photogs)...they question what u see in it and why u even bothered...as if you dun even know how to take a basic photo properly.
Their way of looking at photographs is a 'lil different from yours. They go for straight up shots...u might not.

This is just an example.
 

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