PHILIPPE CHENG ARTIST STATEMENT Photography has always been a means to an end, and a beginning...and yes, a middle and all points in between. I am always drawn to a story, usually based in reality. Whether referred too or discovered - the inspiration may come from anywhere. And in striving for a singular image or a series of images that can represent a transcendental or signature moment in a narrative, I am deeply aware of that the immediacy of photography, and the nature of our culture, which sometimes does let an image breathe, to age, becomes what it must become. This is often a challenge for me - to discover and recognize what images mean. To define them in a way that is intentional and yes, immediate but with the knowledge that its meaning may not be fully revealed in this moment. The narrative and arc of a body of work represents an intentionality and this is often a definable moment in an artist life and this is what drives me. The narratives of my working life are consistently the subjects that I return to time and again. The issues of social consciousness and the disconnect and separation that surrounds a particular reality, to the richness and the arc of family life and the social rituals that help define us; from birth to marriage to loss, and to the landscapes we live in; figuratively and metaphorically. I have been thinking about the idea of the natural and man-made landscape and what it can represent. These landscapes have always inspired me to interpret and look for meaning beyond what is immediately clear. To parse and photograph the spaces that are in between the distinct shapes that we define as walls, objects, trees, road, earth, and water. I want to redefine what we know and to create a space to imagine a sense of place and of feelings. Process is also important to me, as within each frame a potential exists that remains unseen until revealed by delving into the elements of framing, exposure and focusing. The beautiful challenge, if you will, is balancing this technical and mechanical process with creating of the emotional, the narrative and the structural intention of image making.