Photography first arrived in Southeast Asia in the 1840s as a European import. In the early years, only the affluent had access to the technology, so in terms of photos from the era — we can only see what they saw.
And that’s what the Peranakan Museum’s new showcase spotlights: a rare collection of the earliest images involving the Peranakan, a community of people with mixed Chinese and Malay/Indonesian heritage, and how photo documentation of these individuals changed over time.
Titled Amek Gambar (“take pictures” in Malay): Peranakans and Photography, the exhibition traces back more than a century’s worth of photography in the region, filtered through the lens of the Peranakans.
Starting from the early history of photography techniques in Europe and how they spread to Southeast Asia, the works on display guide visitors to examine the ways in which Peranakans expressed and represented themselves in pictures once the arrival of portable cameras came into their lives.
It’s an intriguing look at how the art form and these particular subjects evolved through the decades.
Peep some highlights below.
Boat Quay and the Singapore River from Government Hill (Fort Canning)
This daguerreotype, a single image of light-sensitive chemicals on metal, is the earliest type of photograph. Jules Itier, a member of the French trade mission to China, shot the earliest surviving photograph of Singapore in July 1844, pictured here.
Lee Poh Neo’s “selfie”
Millennials, it looks like you were beat to the punch, because people were already taking selfies way back when. This (possibly accidental) self-portrait was snapped in front of a mirror when Lee Poh Neo and her parents took a trip to Europe from 1919 to 1921.
Portrait of Oei Tiong Ham (1866-1924)
Probably the most influential Peranakan in the region during the late 19th and early 20th century, Oei was a philanthropist and businessman at the reins of Kian Gwan, a multinational conglomerate with its fingers in everything from opium and sugar to shipping and banking. In what’s likely one of the earliest images of a Peranakan in Western clothes. Oei was 21 when this photo was taken.
A Singapore street scene snapped with the first Kodak camera
The very first Kodak camera prototype came out in the US in 1888. This snapshot of a street view of Singapore (possibly taken by a French tourist) is a rare example of early Kodak photography.
Mr. and Mrs. Adrian Hui
Standing out from all the black-and-white images is this vibrant, kaleidoscopic photo of a Peranakan bride and groom decked out in resplendent traditional wear in 2009.
Portrait of a Peranakan couple
This full-length portrait of a formally seated couple is one of the few left of its kind — it shows a man in typical southern Chinese dressing, while the woman dons an outfit popular among Nyonyas in eastern Java.
Of Fingerbowls and Hankies
From the 2009 series by Chris Yap, this collection of works creates fictitious narratives of a Peranakan family in the setting of Baba House, a historical house museum managed by the National University of Singapore. Every scene seems to catch the characters going about their daily lives, but the action, color, and lighting of the resulting photos are purposefully theatrical and surreal.
In addition to this exhibit, visitors can also step into an installation on the ground floor created by local artists Sarah Choo and Larry Kwa — inspired by the first camera, the sleek structure invites visitors to enter, stop, and watch the world go by.
Amek Gambar: Peranakans and Photography is on from May 5, 2018-Feb 3, 2019 at the Peranakan Museum, 39 Armenian St. Locals: $5 for adults, free for children and seniors; Foreigners: $13 for adults, $9 for children and seniors.
