ESQ&A RUSSEL WONG
ESQUIRE: What sparked your involvement in the Life in Edo | Russel Wong in Kyoto exhibition?
RUSSEL WONG: It came as a two-pronged approach. Life in Edo was conceptualised by JCC [Japan Creative Centre] that had a curator for the woodblock collection. At the same time, Kennie Ting [Asian Civilisation Museum’s museum director] saw my previous exhibition on [Kenzō Tange’s] architecture at the JCC. There I spoke about my project on documenting the geisha and geiko for about 12 years. This was 2019. Ting proposed to do this together [with the woodblocks] to have a contrast and also duality for the exhibition. One having woodblocks from old Edo. And another having also with history, but shot with and done in the medium of photography at the present time which has a bit of old world and old soul to it using my photography. So, it came about that way. Plus, it’s the 55th year of formal relationship between Singapore and Japan.
ESQ: Did you present your photos to them during the early stages of this exhibition?
WONG: I never presented them; I just spoke about it. I always kept this between my friends and me. Because I’ve been shooting for 13 years, I just knew I wanted to publish a book or have an exhibition. It was never planned as I shot. So, no one saw any of the work, because I kept it for myself as a personal project I’d embarked on. Ting tapped on it because I spoke about this and after the curator saw it, there was a link.
ESQ: How does this series place itself alongside your archival work?
It’s not just archival work, but more of the whole comprehensive life of the five or districts, and the behind-the-scenes primary life that Kyoto revolves around the lifestyle. It’s focused on this floating world, as they call it. And I’ve always been intrigued by its elusive access. Because I finally got it, I wasn’t going to give it up. It took me five years to get inside the or tea houses. As photographers, we want to shoot and create images. And if we’re given access to something special, we’ll keep shooting it. We don’t think about the business side. Rather, we keep on going because the content is so important, then you can formulate and curate it.
