Valentine Willie Fine Art Singapore is pleased to present RUSSEL WONG: A DIFFERENT JOURNEY. This new exhibition is Russel Wong’s first major exhibition since his solo exhibitions at the Singapore Art Museum and the Singapore Tyler Print Institute in 2005.

Whereas Russel has made his name as photographer of celebrities from the world of politics, sport and entertainment, lesser known are his works away from the world of celebrities. Chief amongst these are his photographs of landscapes and nature, which
he has pursued for the past 9 years and which he has never exhibited before until now.

In this new exhibition, there will be no portraits of Jackie Chan, no Aishwarya Rai and not even one of his favorite muses, the actress/director Joan Chen. Instead, we will see early morning views of Huangshan or Yangshou, or a bamboo forest in Kyoto. It’s a different journey not just for him but also for his many admirers who has only known his celebrity portraits. On this new journey and like a classical Chinese ink painter, Russel deploys his trademark mastery of composition, always sensitive to the subtleties of light and shadow.

Following the traditional way, Russel captured most of his landscapes on 8 x 10 negatives with his view camera. Russel would get up very early to catch the rising mist as it spreads over the Li Jiang River just as the fishermen sets out on their arduous day. It is this honesty and dedication that give his works their visual edge and power. It has also made him one of our most successful contemporary photographers.