Leica Galerie Singapore is launching a new exhibition titled Together ̶ A Journey of Partnership. A collaboration between Leica and COMO Foundation in celebration of the latter’s 15th anniversary, the project captures the power of human relationships in the spirit of shared purpose of gender equity.
Leica appointed three female photographers to document and capture life at six COMO Foundation partners in India, Indonesia, Nepal and Vietnam. Featured organisations include Educate Girls, Little Sisters Fund, Medic Mobile, One Heart World-Wide, Thriive and Yayasan Rumah Rachel. The exhibition is set to run till 17 October 2018, showcasing the resilience, ingenuity and spirit of individuals determined to improve the futures of their communities.
Giving Back to Society
Since Leica established its Singapore office back in 2010, it has organised numerous socially responsible initiatives. For instance, in 2014, Leica organised a one-of-a-kind photographic exhibition Left Behind to aid poor children in Manila who would otherwise have been left behind in the streets, through non-profit organisation TNK Foundation Manila.
Two years later, a second exhibition, Left Behind II was reintroduced in 2016 with proceeds that benefited TNK Foundation. From Left Behind to the launch of the documentary book Mysterious Happiness last year that illustrated the resilience of the poor in Philippines, and 2018’s year-long initiative Leica Women in Photography that supports and encourages women to thrive in the camera industry, Leica consistently supports causes that benefit the local communities in which they operate.
For this project, Leica specially hand-picked three female photographers who personally resonated with the cause of each organisation to take on the mission. Laxmi Kaul, together with her son Aditya Kaul, journeyed to Nepal and India to visit One Heart World-Wide, Medic Mobile, Little Sisters Fund and Educate Girls, while Dilla Djalil-Daniel visited Rachel House in North Jakarta of Indonesia, and Ha Phuong Thao captured scenes from Thriive in Vietnam.
Through the lens of the four Leica photographers, they brought to life personal stories of mutual support, strength and transformation that they saw within the communities in Nepal, India, Indonesia and Vietnam. The photographers sacrificed comforts to be on location and on site at some of these demanding and treacherous conditions, capturing portraits of friendship, generosity and camaraderie that transcended geographical barriers – stories of diverse individuals working together for a shared vision of gender equity.
Together – A Journey of Partnership is also supported by Hilton Hotel, Hilton Shopping Gallery, Four Seasons Hotel, and Culina.