Like most people in his profession, Mark Chew is more comfortable behind the lens than in front of it.
Photos show a quiet, reflective individual, with, just occasionally, a hint of sadness.
It’s hardly surprising. He’s seen things.
For more than 30 years, Mark has carved out a career as a highly successful commercial photographer. It’s what pays the rent, but what really moves him is a desire to document the everyday lives of his fellow humans.
His subjects are not the well-heeled execs and high-fliers who employ his considerable talents, but those at the margins.
Between corporate gigs, he travels the world, recording daily life on the crowded streets of India, in the towns and villages of Vietnam, Laos, Fiji and Vanuatu and in the refugee camps of Northern Kenya.
The images he returns with can be stark and confronting, but all are infused with a beauty that is both ordinary and remarkable.
Against the backdrop of a squalid tin shed, girls dishevelled and spattered with mud are singing, their faces suffused with joy.
A little boy drinks from a tap, his cupped hands encased in a glowing cascade of water that spills across his fingers. He is unconcerned, curious even.
A girl with braided hair appraises the camera. She is eight years old perhaps – cool, confident and self-contained. In another world, she would be bound for greatness. That seems unlikely here.
The beauty of these images is undeniable, yet the stories are more nuanced. There is joy and laughter and the triumph of resilience. There is also misery and despair.
It is a complicated tale – one that Mark Chew is keen to share.
He will appear as a guest of Macedon Ranges Rural Australians for Refugees at Norma Richardson Hall, 15 Buckland Street Woodend at 2pm on Sunday June 12.
He will exhibit some of his images, discuss his life as a professional photographer and relate his experiences working at Kakuma refugee camp in association with various refugee agencies.
Admission is by donation and one lucky patron will take away a fabulous door prize – a 1000mm by 450mm print of Mark’s ‘Football under the Acacia Tree’.
Bookings are essential: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/906713
