Went down to SMU Gallery at SMU (Where else !) for the Lecia Magic Moments II exhibition last saturday, 25th oct.

Brief extract.

"MAGIC MOMENTS II" by Leica.
Oct 23 to Nov 5, SMU Gallery

Presented by Leica, the exhibition MAGIC MOMENTS II consists of 40 original black-and-white photographs by well known photographers such as René Burri, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Inge Morath, Marc Riboud, Mary Ellen Mark and Sebastiao Salgado.

Opening hours are 11am to 8pm.

I reached SMU Gallery at about 2:30pm and went to the gallery, it was locked and the lights weren't on. I was like thinking did I get the date wrong? or they weren't opened on a saturday, and was thinking how silly that they were not opened on a saturday since that was when most people would be free to come and see.

Lucky when i went over to the security to inquire about the opening hours of the gallery. There was this guy that was walking behind me and came up as ask me if I was here for the Gallery. Turns out he was suppose to open the Gallery, he apologised and so I hanged around SMU while waiting for the Gallery to open.

The exhibition was great, these are real black and white prints (the ones you get by standing in a red light room and smelling "nice" chemicals fumes not off photoshop and a printer), and some of these prints are signed by the photographers themselves, so they are probably the original exhibition prints not a reproduction.

The photos were great, most of the prints were roughly around 8r to 12r. It does show off what leica lenes are capable off, and what great printing to do to enhance it. But what is most important is probably the photographers vision and skill. I couldn't really find the listing of the pictures (even after searching great Google). I did however found a small picture of Mother Teresa by Mary Ellen Mark on ther website (I think that the picture that was on the website is quite a poor scan of the original).

After seeing the exhibition, all would wish that they have leica's hanging off their necks and magically great pictures like the ones displayed woul follow.

alas we all know how untrue that is.