Yip Cheong Fun

A Singapore photographer working with cine-cameras
By Clarisse U

Yip Cheong Fun, ‘Sunrise’, silver gelatin print. Image courtesy of Art Agenda, S.E.A.

Yip Cheong Fun (1903-1989), also fondly remembered as “Old Man Yip”, was one of Singapore's top pioneer photographers. He won over 50 international awards for his narrative scenes of urban landscapes, seascapes and kampung life. Born in Hong Kong, the photographer permanently moved to Singapore in 1913. He began taking photographs for his family album when he bought his first Rolleiflex camera in 1936, which marked the starting point of his illustrious career spanning more than six decades. As Singapore underwent continuous urban redevelopment, Yip captured scenes of both the country’s transient past and constant growth. 

Yip Cheong Fun, ‘Crashing Through Hell’, 1948, silver gelatin print. Image courtesy of Art Agenda, S.E.A.

Yip was an engineer, and in 1942, when he opened his own engineering workshop, he also created a darkroom to work further on his photographic practice. Renowned photo-journalist Henri Cartier-Bresson’s fascination with candid scenes and street sights heavily influenced Yip. The photographer visited Singapore in 1948, and the two often went on photography trips together to the Singapore River and Chinatown. Yip grew very fond of Chinatown and established his presence in the area, capturing detailed shots of every aspect of life. Aside from this, Yip also took interest in traditional festivals in various cultural locations. His images of festivities at Little India and Chinatown reveal his utmost respect towards religious practitioners. 

“Yip sought to perfect the lighting, composition, and even the natural environment, resulting in different test shots of the same scene over a period of several years.”

Some of Yip’s prints show the same location photographed multiple times. This was his attempt to capture the “decisive moment”, a concept that was popularised by Cartier-Bresson. It refers to any given moment in time which facilitates one’s understanding of the larger context. Yip sought to perfect the lighting, composition, and even the natural environment, resulting in different test shots of the same scene over a period of several years.

Yip’s first taste of success came in 1952 after he decided to enter several international competitions with his prints. Most notably, ‘Rowing at Dawn’ was exhibited in over 80 countries and also won numerous prizes and gold medals overseas.

Yip Cheong Fun, ‘Happy Trio’, silver gelatin print. Image courtesy of Art Agenda, S.E.A.

Portrait photography was a genre that fascinated Yip, partly because of the influence of Japanese photographers such as Shimooka Renjo and Uchida Kuichi. He eventually became known as a child-portrait photographer following his multiple famous images of children. These close-ups, such as in ‘Happy Trio’, capture children in varying states of emotion, such as excitement and uncertainty. 

In his lifetime, Yip was conferred numerous prestigious awards such as the Merlion Pewter Award (1971) from the Singapore International Salon of Photography. In 1984, he was awarded the Cultural Medallion for photography. Yip’s dedication to photography could also be seen in the ways he imparted his skills to young, aspiring photographers. He instructed and held leadership positions at the Photographic Society of Singapore and the Kreta Ayer Camera Club where he taught for decades. 

Yip Cheong Fun, ‘Co-operation’, silver gelatin print. Image courtesy of Art Agenda, S.E.A.

Going beyond the local scene, Yip was also highly successful overseas. One of Yip’s biggest international achievements was when he was named one of ten Honourary Outstanding Photographers of the Century as a seascape specialist. According to the Photographic Society of New York, this was the “world’s highest tribute to a photographer.” This accolade is certainly well deserved given his treatment of coastal imagery: lyrical scenes of boats in the early morning, nets along the beach and figures juxtaposed against the shimmering ocean are showcased in his works, such as in ‘Co-Operation’. 

Image courtesy of Art Agenda, S.E.A.

Image courtesy of Art Agenda, S.E.A.

Art Agenda will be presenting ‘Yip Cheong Fun: Common Interest’ at 63 Spottiswoode Park Road featuring 20 of his original prints. These prints were taken from the 1950s to the 1980s, an epochal period in Singapore where the drive towards industrialisation led to large-scale societal transformations. From fast-changing rural landscapes to growing urban environments, his body of work captures development in broad strokes and fine details. 

Aside from the original prints, four of Yip’s cameras will also be exhibited, including cine-cameras: Voigtlander Bessa II, Leicaflex Wetzlar, Rolleiflex and the Linhod Master Tehnika. Yip used cine-cameras alongside his main practice of still photography, trying out at least seven to eight cameras of differing configurations. A cine-camera differs from a still camera as it is able to take a rapid sequence of photos, instead of one single shot at any given time. 

Yip Cheong Fun, ‘Common Interest’, silver gelatin print. Image courtesy of Art Agenda, S.E.A.

The title of the exhibition, ‘Common Interest’, is named after one of Yip’s prints. Although it features a dancer in the middle of the frame, the focus lies in the other cameras used to capture the same scene, showing a moment of shared curiosity. Although taken several decades ago, these photographs immortalise a love for humankind, a topic in which we may all share a common interest today. 

‘Yip Cheong Fun: Common Interest’ is on view at Art Agenda @ 63 Spottiswoode, from 3 July to 21 July 2021. Click here for more information.