Some stories require minimal words, because the photos say it all, and do so in a compelling and articulate manner.
Welcome to George Town where the month of July seems to have taken off with features of photographers who are standing out as fascinating storytellers of a city and island steeped in colour, culture, nature, heritage and endless charm.
Visual artist, photographer and graphic designer Goh Hun Meng and three generations before him lived in the clan houses of the Khoo Kongsi (Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi) at Cannon Square, a George Town World Heritage site.
Pivotal to a photography exhibition he is presenting during the upcoming George Town Festival, is his 82 year old uncle and godfather, Goh Kong Chuan.
“Sa Pek” or Third Uncle as the elder Goh is referred to in the family, was an avid photographer and showered his nieces and nephews with much kindness when they were growing up.
He also served in the Reserve Army and gave ballroom dancing lessons.
He also used to capture milestones in his family’s lives and the laughter and tears punctuated in between, with his trusty camera.
“My late grandmother (born between 1910 and 1912) was a Khoo who had lived in the clanhouse since she was five, “ Hun Meng said.
“When we were growing up, Sa Pek used to give pocket money to my cousins and I and took many precious family photos.
“Today he is 82, suffers from dementia and lives in Pulau Tikus with his wife Lim Poh Geok. His memory is not as good as before.
“The exhibition showcasing his precious collection of photos is my tribute to a man who has always cared for his family.”
Hun Meng is also looking to raise funds for his aging uncle by selling the photographs on display and donating all the proceeds to Goh Senior.
The exhibition which runs from 9 Aug to 3 September, 2018 (from 11am-6pm daily) opens on Aug 11 at 10.30am @Jetty 35 located on the ground floor of 35, Pengkalan Weld, George Town, 10300 Penang.
(All images courtesy of Goh Hun Meng)
(Note: the 16 clan houses which flank the alleyway from the main entrance to the central Clan Temple and courtyard of the Khoo Kongsi where Hun Meng and family lived, have morphed in recent times, into a 43 guest roomed boutique hotel called Clans Kongsi George Town. The story is found in an earlier posting ‘Amazing Slices of History @ClansKongsiGeorgeTown’ in this same blog https://postcodegeorgetown.wordpress.com/2018/06/21/amazing-slices-of-history-clanskongsigeorgetown
#postcodegeorgetown #georgetownfestival2018 #photographyexhibition #photoessay #unescoworldheritage #gohhunmeng #khookongsi
postcodegeorgetown 