Huzir Sulaiman and Claire Wong
Theatre Pratitioners
What does one expect when Claire Wong and Huzir Sulaiman come to your studio? I wanted to capture, for this series, people as they are. Huzir turned up in his suit and tie. I thought of Shakespeare or the National Theatre. And then Huzir plugs his phone into the sound system and dances like an extra from a Bollywood movie. Claire follows on with Blackpink. Huzir says that he has been photographed many times looking intense, but this is a part of him too. And, to be fair, I shot Claire and Huzir’s wedding, and they do like dancing. But still, mind blown.
Being partners in life and art means that we have spent almost every hour of every day, over the last 20 years, about one metre from each other. It’s sometimes difficult, but it’s mostly an enormous comfort and inspiration. We dance and have fun; we make up ridiculous songs and improvise silly scenes. With each other’s support, we got through the most difficult period of Covid and brought our company and collaborators safely through it as well. We diversified our artistic practice, creating comic books, podcasts, and online films. We’re proud of our partnership and grateful for the friends and family who have kept us going.