In a world dominated by images, photography is something we tend to take for granted, especially when seemingly every teenager can click away with their mobile phone. But Gwen Lee, director of 2902 Gallery and the founder and director of the Singapore International Photography Festival (SIPF), says he hopes this new kind of biennale – the first of its kind in Singapore – will help the public develop a broader understanding of what is, after all, an artform.


Seeing Elvis - Lester Ledesma

It has certainly galvanised photographers in the region. Volunteers running the SIPF were overwhelmed when their group email account overloaded within a month of their open call for entries; equally inundated were the four curators from Singapore, China and Thailand, whose task was to carefully select images from more than 6,800 submissions. The result? Some 800 works by 66 photographers from 26 countries across Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas. And these numbers refer just to the exhibitions. Interested participants can also attend a series of public lectures and satellite events, including an exhibition of work by photographers from the renowned Magnum co-operative, as well as a festival party on 11 October.


The Birthday Party - Vee Spears

If you’re feeling lost in the face of so many options, start by checking out the work of Australian-born, Paris- based Vee Speers, whose seemingly innocent portraits of children unnerve viewers with their subjects’ unsettling disregard for societal expectations. On a more musical note, don’t miss out on an exhibit by TOS photo editor Lester Ledesma from the Philippines, whose two-month-long project documents the devotion of Singapore’s Elvis Presley impersonators in all their bedazzled glory (see photo above). ‘You wouldn’t say they are typical Singaporeans,’ says Ledesma of his subjects. ‘These are retirees – they’re old, fun, different, and they’re proud of it.’

Some 50 lucky photographers from South-East Asia will also get the opportunity to have their portfolios critiqued technically and contextually by professional photographers, curators, buyers and editors from Asia, Europe and the United States. It’s a two-way street – while the artists get feedback, the event organisers can uncover, foster and propel new talent onto the world stage. By the looks of it, this inaugural festival is defi nitely moving in the right direction.

For more information about dates, venues and events, go to sipf.sg.