ERIC PERIS

Eric Peris, one of South East Asia's foremost photographers, shot the Tin Mine Landscapes in the late 1970's. The series originally numbered 41 images which were published in a book by the same name, in 1980. Due to irreversible damage to the negatives, only 23 images from the published series survived. Aware of contemporary technology and its value, Peris supervised the transfer of the images from negative to digital format, which has enabled the enlargement of the images to a size that welcomes and permits more viewer interaction.

This body of work is significant for a number of reasons, not least of which is strong aesthetic content. The images speak to the history of a nation since a significant portion of the region's early wealth and thus nation building resources, was derived from tin mines. These landscapes have been lost to development, and thus ironically, continuing economic wealth has contributed to their erasure.

The clarity and tranquility of the images indicate Peris' state of mind at the time of photographing. He embarked on a journey, specifically to photograph these landscapes, soon after the death of his mentor and hero, his father. This emotional passage of the young Peris was one of the factors that perhaps operated to create a brilliance in these works - in the stillness and movement, the clarity of the light and the meditative quality of the images. Found in these works are themes of abandonment, rejuvination, preservation and extinction.

The works are poetic, documentary and currently relevant.

Black & White Lamda Prints.
Large format, measuring  54” x 36”. 
Twenty three images.

Publications include:
Landscapes - A Photographic Study of the Tin Mine Landscapes, Malaysia.
Images of Gitanjali, a pictorial study of the poetry of Rabindranath Tagore using Malaysian Images.
The Malaysian Heritage Homes, a photographic study of the architectural influences in Malaysia.

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© The Private Gallery 2007.