Lot 84: RUSSEL WONG (b. Singapore 1961)

Jackie Chan, Hong Kong, 2000
signed in pencil on the mount 'Russel Wong' (lower right) and numbered '3/40' (lower left)
silver gelatin black and white photographic print
18 x 18 in. (45 x 45 cm.)

RUSSEL WONG - PHOTOGRAPHS 1980-2005, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore 8 January - 20 February.

Russel Wong Photographs 1980-2005, Epigram Books, Singapore, 2005, cover, published in conjunction with the exhibition RUSSEL WONG - PHOTOGRAPHS 1980-2005, Singapore Art Museum, 8 January - 20 February 2005.

Celebrity photographs are the works that defined the reputation of Russel Wong as a photographer in large part. "Whilst some critics banish this genre as a soft art form shaped by the pressures and demands of celebrity publicity machines, most agree that this species of photography remains one of the most potent and most difficult to commandeer. It is one thing to wrestle for access to celebrities and quite another feat to persuade strong self-willed celebrities who are well acquainted with camera tactics to trust if not share, one's vision." (Lindy Poh, "On both sides of the camera" in Russel Wong: Photographs 1980-2005, Epigram Books, Singapore, 2005, p. 10.).

Russel has a definite knack for the working with people which translates into authenticity and fluidity in his works. As Joan Chen has said, "No matter how stylised or simple his shots are, they always feel authentic and alive. His sincerity and confidence put his subjects at ease and inspire them to be the best for him. His lens is able to capture not only their physicality, but also the essence of their character." (Joan Chen, "Reflections" in Russel Wong: Photographs 1980-2005, Epigram Books, Singapore, 2005, p. 8.).

In 1996 Russel received one of his most important assignments which was to photograph the popular icon Faye Wong for the Time magazine cover. Thence began a regular professional relationship with Time that would further enhance Russel's reputation as a celebrity photographer for creating images of the icons of popular culture and more significantly these would be the Asian iconic images on a Western magazine. "Riding on the surge of interest in Asia, Wong's studio honed its reputation for delivering a distinctive branding and the artistic interpretation of the elusive 'Asian identity' for its clients." (Lindy Poh, "On both sides of the camera" in Russel Wong: Photographs 1980-2005, Epigram Books, Singapore, 2005, p. 12-13.).

Russel was asked to photograph Jackie Chan for the cover of Time, when the issue discussed the Hong Kong-Chinese actor's entry to Hollywood with the movie Rush Hour. On this particular image, a writer comments, " (Russel) gave us the extraordinary Time magazine cover of action superstar Jackie Chan, cheekily grinning in a chair set up in the middle of a traffic packed Nathan Road in Hong Kong." (Ibid., p. 11)

The present lot is done in 2000 with which Russel brings out the intense gaze of Jackie Chan who is foremost known as the most important Kung Fu(Chinese martial art) actor after the legendary Bruce Lee. "What makes Jackie Chan 'Jackie Chan'?" Lindy Poh offers an answer "Brandishing over two decades of iconic imagery in his portfolio, Wong has coupled his familiarity with the voyeuristic psyche with an uncanny knack for picking up on his subject's attributes in their public and private personae." (Ibid., p. 10).