Today we’d like to introduce you to Leng Ung.
Leng, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
First of all, I am French… well, it is more complicated than that… I am actually a Chinese Cambodian French man living in the US… I told you, it is complicated. My family is originated from China and migrated to Cambodia. Because of the insanity of a human being (watch the « Killing Field » or « First they killed my father » and you’ll understand what I mean), we migrated safely to France in 1979 (thanks Dad for keeping us safe during our exodus and our stay in this dangerous Indo-Chinese jungle!).
I think this multicultural part of me keeps me curious and open-minded, which for me it is a cornerstone of creativity.
I started photography very late, around 25, I’d say in France, in a photo club where I learned a lot with some tremendous artists, people who were still using black and white film – at a period where digital photography began to be the only option for the millennials – and these friends of mine were so keen to share their craftsmanship for the darkroom and the enlarger! My passion of black and white came from here for sure, it was so magical to see and understand how light can be manipulated with hand manipulation to dodge or burn to interpret your picture in a Photoshop predominant era. I must admit the smell of the chemistry misses me even now!
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
My art… the media I used is photography!
Why photography? Honestly, I guess it is because it is simple in the principle, you shoot what you see. And what it is important to me reside literally in these words: « you shoot what you see » – i.e. what you see is not what someone else sees, there is definitely a sense of self-expression and interpretation in photography.
I source my inspiration is coming from the humanist street master photographers (Cartier-Bresson, Walker Evans, Willy Ronis, Saul Leiter…) but modern photographers as well (Magnum photographers, Steve McCurry…). I have currently a work in progress about Light & Shadow in a city and their interaction with the humans, with the intent to highlight the individual, in opposition to the mass. I am trying in this series to make manifest of the very essence of the photography – literally – drawing with light. I chose for this project to use black and white – not only because I am an enthusiast of the shades of grey – BUT also because I think it helps to focus on the subject without any other distractions – straight to the point.
Do current events, local or global, affect your work and what you are focused on?
The artist can be lonely or not, depending on what you’re looking for… Instagram is a good social network and good media to share photography to a wide audience and meet some other artists but most of the time relationships are superficial…
I’d be keen to find an art community (I mean “physical” community) to share thoughts and tips.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
This series in progress “Corridors of Light, a metaphor of life” can be seen on my Instagram account.
« Corridors of Light, metaphor of life » is a play, characterizing the life.
Each corridor of light defines the span of an act and tell about an event of life where the actor enters and exit the stage – as a relationship that starts and end the stage.
The shadows emphasize the individual, while the vertical frame portrays the scene of the act – an American big city like Chicago.
And if any art curator who read this interview is interested to exhibit my work, I’ll be happy to collaborate!
And the last thing, I’d be thrilled to get is some feedback about my work! (Through Instagram or this website!)
Contact Info:
- Email: leng.ung@me.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leng.ung.312/
Image Credit:
Leng Ung
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
