Set against three decades of Singapore’s history from the 1960s to 90s, 88-year-old veteran photographer Foo Tee Jun’s retrospective exhibition, Time and Tide, offers an intimate look into the nation’s transformative years. Featuring over 80 rarely seen images from his rich visual oeuvre, this exhibition opens on 22 June 2024 and runs until 28 July 2024 at Objectifs – Centre for Photography and Film.
Foo Tee Jun, one of Singapore’s foremost salon photographers and Cultural Medallion recipient for Photography, played a pivotal role in shaping the visual vocabulary of modern photography from the 1950s to the 1980s. His evocative images embody a quiet curiosity towards an unfurling city, capturing the evolving architectural and psychological landscapes of Singapore as it transitioned from an entrepot to an industrial powerhouse.
As a former photographer for the Ministry of Environment, now the National Environment Agency (NEA), the role granted him unparalleled access to document developing trades and industries, such as construction sites, power plants, refineries, and warehouses. These exclusive vantage points allowed Foo to record the myriad of human activities surrounding these enterprises, capturing the traditions, beliefs, and practices that comprised the modern Singapore identity. As a chronicler of the times, Foo explains: “The photos in the exhibition document the changes in the physical environment and also the lives of everyday people. This gives the next generation of Singaporeans an idea of what it was like in the past; documenting the improvements in our society and physical landscape”.
Venue: Chapel Gallery, Objectifs – Centre for Photography and Film
When: 22 Jun - 28 Jul 2024,
