Art by Nature, Art By Man - An Exhibition of Photography by Eric Peris and Choy Khye Fatt, 13 December 2025, Sutra Gallery

Speech by  Tan Sri Johan Jaaffar

 

Sdr Datuk Ramli Ibrahim

Sdr Eric Peris, Sdr Choy Khye Fatt

Ladies and gentleman

 

“ …And forget not that the Earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds  long to play with your hair…”

One of my favourite poets, Khalil Gibran  wrote that.

He saw nature as a divine, living entity, a  source of spiritual and emotional strength, thus an integral part of our being.

What a miracle nature is. Nature performs miracles that even art cannot imitate.

The captivating aesthetics and spiritual serendipity  remind us of the vital connection between humanity and Mother Nature. It is sublime in form and divine in artistry.  

Aristotle famously said  that “in all things of nature there is something of the marvellous.”

We are here to celebrate all that and more. We are looking at art by nature, art by man, inspired by the  majestic gift of Mother Nature.

Today we are looking  from the prism of two of our most gifted photographers/artists – one sharing his insight of nature’s inherent semi-abstract designs in tonal black and white, the other focusing on transforming original landscapes rendered in conceptual studies emphasising form, texture and rhythm via the play of non-representational colours.  

Two masters, two approaches, two styles.

But one mission – to appropriate Nature at its finest, interpreted artistically utilising
mediums closest to them. We are seeing a simulacra of images weaved effortlessly into light, shadow and the poetry of nature, or triangulated in between the mystery of paradoxes and possibilities, between what is seen and what is intuited (yang tersurat dan yang tersirat).

Perhaps the phrase jiwa membumi (the soul of the land), once used in one of the exhibitions participated and led by Eric Peris is apt to explain the symbiotic relationship between humanity and Nature. It is pure artistry for anyone to be able to depict Nature, whether in realistic of abstract form.

Nature is inspirational. Arts will bridge the gap of understanding between Nature and humanity. Artists reimagine their relationships with Nature. We have seen how renowned artis like Vincent Van Gogh bringing fragments of Nature to life in his paintings.

But is photography an art form? Is photography a visual art? In today’s world, everyone is a photographer, every smart phone has a camera, and photographic images are inundating humanity. Humans are photographing everything and almost at every moment and for  every conceivable  excuse.       

Or is it a  new medium, the eight art, as posited by some?

Language is power, we all agree to that. And  language is the bowl of our cultural consciousness. Our understanding of the arts, aesthetics and therefore culture  (in capital letter) is moulded by the believe that seni (the arts) and sastera (literature) are the pinnacle of human creative achievements. Other art forms (in small letters) are “The Other”. We may have to review that notion.   

There is a term “photography art” to mean photographs created as artworks. These are rare collectibles developed especially for creative expressions and not for commercial use. Just like other visual art forms - painting or sculpture -  photographic art incorporate elements like line, shape, form, texture, balance, asymmetry, light, depth and space.

We learned about photographic artistry from the likes of Ansel Adams, Harve Lewis, Dorothea Long, Irving Penn and many others.  

Today, in this space,  two of our own – our best photographers are showing their best works. What exhibited  here are not merely photographs. And the two are not merely photographers. They may be press photographers before recording events and moments. But as these photographs  here show, they have moved beyond that. Both have trodden a new path, embodying the aged-old principle of clicking to capture an image to reconstructing it as artifacts of art. Not only that, there is always the philosophical underpinnings behind the works.

In the case of Choy Khye Fatt, the concept of wabi-sabi is evident (the correct  phrase is “wabi-sabi sensibility”). In his own words, “I am drawn therefore to finding beauty in imperfection and impermanence, including growth and decay. I am also partial to the practice of kintsugi where broken pieces of poetry are restored, metaphorically perfecting imperfections."

To quote from the catalogue, Eric Peris’ work “is grounded in a contemplative, almost Zen-like way of seeing, where the simplicity of everyday becomes profound.”   

It is a great experience trying to decipher the meanings of these works exhibited here by Eric Peris and Choy Khye Fatt. For me, personally, it is an honour to be part of this event – a happening in more ways than one, another marker of the excellence of these two photographers/artists. Both of them have exhibited their works many times before. Again it proves a point – that creating knows no bound, nor age barrier, and no excuse of retirement. As these two gentlemen have proven, when creativity excels, the space and narrative power collide, we are seeing style, poise and beauty and more importantly artistry at its finest.

 I am neither a photographer nor a painter, I was a journalist, but I was part of the cultural art scene the last 50 years or so. And I have edited magazines like Dewan Sastera and Dewan Budaya published by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP). The latter, is dedicated to culture and  arts. I have written about events in the world of arts and culture, ad occasionally masquerading as art critic. I have covered some of the most interesting events in the local art scenes – notably the Reza Piyadasa  - Salleh ben Joned spat back in the 70s and have seen the rise into prominence some of the finest painters and artists in the country.

I am honoured be part of the New Straits Times Press (NSTP), once as Chairman of the company that owned the group, where Eric Peris used to work. I have heard  great things both Eric Peris and Choy Khye Fatt have done. I admire their tenacity and dedication to redefine photography as art. And art in photography.

From where I stand, these photographs exhibited here are no ordinary photographs – these are artistic renderings of photography at its  best. These are not “stills” as we know in journalism but artistic works redefined.

I must congratulate Datuk Ramli Ibrahim and Sutra Foundation for initiating and  providing the space for this exhibition. 

I truly enjoy the works and I hope you do too.

I am sure for Eric Peris and Choy Khye Fatt, this is another journey to self-discovery, and another milestone in their indefatigable pursuit of creative excellence.  Bravo and congratulations to them.

Yang kurik kundi

Yang merah saga

Yang baik budi

Yang indah bahasa

I would like to end this speech by reciting another   pantun, the artistic flower  of the people of Nusantara. In them,  nature is depicted and honored, as much as how these two photographers embrace nature to energise their artistic expressions. And to prove the mantra, “from the spirit of Mother Nature’s glorious creations, man crafts the form.”

Pulau Pandan jauh ke tengah

Gunung Daik bercabang tiga

Hancur badan dikandung tanah

Budi yang baik dikenang juga.

It is with great honour I  officially open the  exhibition of photographs.  Art by Nature, Art By Man by Eric Peris and Choy Khye Fatt.

 

Thank You.