Malaysia and Singapore were once a single country.

Kuala Lumpur continues to grow as a major city.
Singapore has become one of the economic centers of Asia.

These two cities, shaped by different paths of development, came into my itinerary at the same time.

 

Originally, I was to photograph in Kuala Lumpur and attend an award ceremony in Singapore.

But just before departure, I rearranged the schedule for this project, and in mid-March 2023, I was able to photograph in both cities.

 

This time, I turned my attention to wet markets.

Rather than the visible surface of the city, I wanted to step into the everyday life that lies beneath it.

I began early in the morning, following the rhythm of people working in the markets.

 

In Kuala Lumpur, the market is full of energy.

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Leaving the city center by train and walking a short distance, the space opens into something far removed from tourism— a place where daily life unfolds as it is.

Motorbikes pass by, the air is thick and humid, and different smells overlap.

Meat and fish are left out in the heat, water poured over them to keep them from drying.

Within this environment, people continue their work as if it were entirely natural, and respond to the camera without hesitation.

What remained with me was the closeness, and the density of the air.

 

From there, I moved to Singapore.

I visited another wet market.

 

What I encountered was a completely different scene.

The market was carefully regulated.
Vegetables were individually packaged.
Meat and fish were arranged neatly in refrigerated display cases.

Everything appeared clean, ordered— as if the system of the city itself had taken form.

 

And yet, the expressions of the people working there did not feel different.

When I raised the camera, they responded naturally, and within those brief moments, relationships quietly formed.

 

Even though the ways of living were clearly different, the presence of people, and the rhythm of their work, seemed to share something in common.

 

What appeared between these two cities was not only difference.

It was something that existed in between— subtle, difficult to define.

 

This series is an attempt to hold what emerges within that space.

 

I am deeply grateful to everyone who allowed me to photograph them.