Title of Work: Grandfather's Journey: A Chinese Immigrant Story
Statement: After the mid-20th century, large numbers of Chinese immigrants including my grandfather, Wong Ho Lang, migrated to Malaya from China. Recollections from my childhood memories and looking through family portraits and photo albums had provided me with a better understanding of my grandfather and family heritage. One particular family photo taken during Chinese New Year celebration with the whole family gathering at the shop front of our family-owned tire shop reflected my family heritage and the living environment during that time. Through the retelling of my family history delivered in a narrative expressed in the form of collage art and utilizing the interaction of photography, space and memory, this series of work expresses the complex feelings I carry towards my family’s migrant heritage.
王文骏《祖父的旅程》
我的祖父姓王，名为福临。在二十世纪三十年代，祖父从中国移民到马来半岛。自我有记忆以来，通过家人的描述以及观看祖父的肖像照，让我对祖父的过往与形象有所了解。通过家庭相册，我得以追溯祖父更早的足迹。在相册中可以看到当时的生活环境与面貌，还可以看到春节时祖父在店铺正门前与家人们的合影。该组作品以我的家族为例，通过拼贴艺术的手法，来表达对祖父移民历史的复杂感情，以及对摄影、空间与记忆之间相互关系的思考。
Biography: Wong Boon Jun, born in 1998, is a Malaysia-based photographer. He is currently pursuing his bachelor's degree of Arts in Photography at Communication University of China in Beijing. Often touched by the beauty around him, Boon Jun has developed the passion to express the complex human relationships he observed through photography. He has been studying the connections among photography, space and memory to achieve the effect of storytelling in photography. His ultimate goal is to share the world he sees and feels with people around the world through photography.
王文骏，1998年生，是一名马来西亚摄影师，现在中国传媒大学摄影系攻读艺术学位。由于经常被周围的美丽事物所打动，他培养出了通过摄影表达他所观察到的复杂的人际关系的热情。他一直在研究摄影、空间和记忆之间的联系，以达到在摄影中讲故事的效果。他的最终目标是通过摄影与世界各地的人们分享他所看到和感受到的世界。
Website: www.wongboonjun.com
Biography: Wong Boon Jun, born in 1998, is a Malaysia-based photographer. He is currently pursuing his bachelor's degree of Arts in Photography at Communication University of China in Beijing. Often touched by the beauty around him, Boon Jun has developed the passion to express the complex human relationships he observed through photography. He has been studying the connections among photography, space and memory to achieve the effect of storytelling in photography. His ultimate goal is to share the world he sees and feels with people around the world through photography.
王文骏，1998年生，是一名马来西亚摄影师，现在中国传媒大学摄影系攻读艺术学位。由于经常被周围的美丽事物所打动，他培养出了通过摄影表达他所观察到的复杂的人际关系的热情。他一直在研究摄影、空间和记忆之间的联系，以达到在摄影中讲故事的效果。他的最终目标是通过摄影与世界各地的人们分享他所看到和感受到的世界。
Website: www.wongboonjun.com
1939年，祖父跟随曾祖父抵达南洋后，在新加坡当一名汽修学徒。图为祖父持有的新加坡出入境证件以及在星洲拍摄的肖像。 After arriving in Nanyang together with my great-grandfather in 1939, my grandfather worked as an auto repair apprentice in Singapore. The picture showed my grandfather’s Singapore entry-exit documents and his portrait taken in Sin Chew.
1957年11月，祖父与祖母在马来半岛结婚领证。图为祖父留存的家族族谱及祖父母结婚照。 In November 1957, my grandfather and grandmother got married in the Malay Peninsula. The picture showed the wedding photo of my grandparents which was found in the family history book created by my grandfather.
1965年8月9日，新加坡宣告脱离马来西亚成为独立共和国。祖母生于新加坡，因此祖父在马来西亚办理护照，陪同祖母到新加坡探望家人。图为祖父办理的第一本国际护照与在马来西亚拍摄的第一张全家福。On August 9, 1965, Singapore declared its independence from Malaysia and became an independent republic. My grandmother was born in Singapore, thus my grandfather had to apply a passport in Malaysia to accompany my grandmother to visit her family in Singapore. The picture showed my grandfather’s first Malaya international passport and our first family portrait taken in Malaysia.
图为祖父留存的店铺底片与1973年在维修汽车电瓶的父亲。 The superimposed envelope contained the negative film of the family-owned tire shop. The background photo was that of my father who was repairing the car battery at the family–owned tire shop in 1973.
黑白图像为1971年，祖父母与叔叔、姑姑们在影楼拍摄的第二张全家福。图片背景为当今的店面。 The superimposed B&W image was the second family portrait consisting of my grandparents, uncles and aunts taken in a photo studio in 1971. The background photo showed the current shop front of the family-owned tire shop.
黑白图像为1979年，父亲站在店铺门前。图片背景为当今的店铺正门。 The superimposed B&W image showed my father standing in front of the shop in 1979. The background photograph showed the current main entrance of the family-owned tire shop.
1991年3月，祖父与祖母到泰国参观考察。图中的物件为祖父在年轻时收集的邮票。 In March 1991, my grandfather and grandmother visited Thailand. The objects in the picture were stamps collected by my grandfather when he was young.
黑白图像为2017年2月2日载着祖母灵柩的灵车，在祖父倾注一生心血的店铺前缓缓经过。图片背景为店铺今昔。 The B&W image (taken on February 2, 2017), superimposed against the current family-owned tire shop, showed my grandmother's funeral procession going past the shop front of our family-owned tire shop which my grandfather had devoted his life in building.
