EXHIBITION

Street photography has long been a popular pursuit in Malaysia,evidenced by the proliferation of photowalks and informal gatherings across urban centres in recent years. However, despite this visible enthusiasm, the outcomes of such practices have rarely been accorded the institutional legitimacy of gallery presentation. CRITICAL EYE: Portraits From The Street intervenes in this gap by framing street portraiture as a rigorous artistic practice, one that requires both technical acuity and a heightened sensitivity to social encounter. Conceived through an open call and evaluated by a panel of distinguished judges, this edition represents a significant moment in the trajectory of the Kuala Lumpur International Photoawards (KLPA), as it brings to the centre, for the first time, a street-based theme within its established portraiture programme.

The brief for CRITICAL EYE challenged photographers to look beyond the register of the fleeting snapshot, refiguring the street as a performative field in which encounters are enacted and visually articulated. Street portraiture, in this regard, demands more than technical proficiency; it constitutes a relational practice, a negotiation between photographer and subject that involves both the audacity of approach and the ethical responsibility of depiction. Produced within the contingencies of public space, these portraits carry an intensity and intentionality comparable to those generated in controlled studio conditions, attesting to how artistry may arise through serendipity, patient observation, and the cultivation of a critically attentive gaze.

We are pleased to present the winners and finalists of the 17th edition of the KLPA Portraiture Prize, hosted this year for the first time at Hin Bus Depot. Works by thirty-five finalists in the main category are exhibited alongside the Under 25 Student Category winners and the Zontiga KLPA Malaysian Entries Prize. Complementing these selections are screenings of the 2024 AUTOPORTRAIT open call finalists, further expanding the dialogue around contemporary portraiture and its negotiation between public and private spheres.