My Hong Kong

EVENT DESCRIPTION

Boogie Woogie Photography & PhotogStory are pleased to present “My Hong Kong, 我城”, a group exhibition at the Loft Wong Chuk Hang, from 3 September to 15 October 2022.

Every city has its own story to tell. In a vibrant and bustling city like Hong Kong, more stories are yet to be told. For Boogie Woogie Photography and PhotogStory, Photography brought us together. Although we have different backgrounds, we share the same passion for photography and fondness for this city.
We met several years ago at an Art Fair, and now we’re thrilled to curate this exhibition, “My Hong Kong, 我城”, in Wong Chuk Hang.

“My Hong Kong, 我城”, comprises thirteen Hong Kong and international photographers’ artworks about the city. On display are Raymond Cauchetier and James Chung’s cityscapes from the 1950s as well as young talents’ impressions of Hong Kong. These images not only present the city’s past and present but also embrace the city’s diversity through the photographers’ eyes. We hope you enjoy the exhibi- tion as we enjoy the city that we’re much-loved.

Everyone sees and feels the city from their perspective. People who have been to Hong Kong at dif- ferent ages always have a reason to fall in love with the city. Under the lens of James Chung and French photographer Raymond Cauchetier, there is street scenery full of Chinese characters, reflecting people’s simple life at that time. Even though Chung and Cauchetier lived in different worlds, they had similar fates. Both were self-taught photographers and recorded Hong Kong’s street scene nearly seventy years ago. Later, they became set photographers, respectively for Hong Kong Films and for the French New Wave in the 1960s. Their photographs left a critical testimony of the golden era.

Hong Kong’s architecture also reflects the city’s character. Chun Wai photographed buildings with rounded corners, a practical architectural style popular in the post-war. Under the lens of Dustin Shum, a ping pong table painted in bright green in Shun on Estate is reminiscent of American director Wes Anderson’s movies, at first glance. Yet, the bright colors contrasted with the mottled ground if you look closely, revealing the refurbishment in public housing estates, where the city’s low-income residents live.

Photographer Felix Wong focuses on skyscrapers, extracting the background and apparent characteristics of the buildings, and simply presenting its aesthetics with geometric lines.

Hong Kong is known for its distinctive tower-studded cityscape. The high-rise buildings captured by photographers Stephen King and Thierry Cohen present a typical overlook of the city. Thierry Cohen combined stars shot separately from remoted deserts to the Victoria Harbour night scene with digital techniques, to give the cityscape a romantic and surreal look. Although Hong Kong is full of skyscrapers, nature is not far from the city. Japanese photographer Takeshi Shikama captured this urban jungle. The photographs are hand-printed on Japanese handmade Ganpi paper with the ancient platinum technique. His images demonstrate the city’s rarely seen elegant silent beauty.

Hong Kong is a charismatic city. Whether in the movies or the reality, this place always attracted and fascinated visitors. We hope the audiences can arouse unique memories of the city in the “My Hong Kong, 我城” exhibition.

Photos Courtesy of Boogie Woogie Photography.

James Chung, Queen’s Road Central, 1959.

Raymond Cauchetier, 1954.

Thierry Cohen, Hong Kong 22° 16’ 38’’ N 2012-03-22 lst 14:00, From Darkened Cities series, 2010-2012