Recovery, Resilience, Resurgence

EVENT DESCRIPTION

Asia Society Hong Kong Center (ASHK) traces the history of Hong Kong from the 1940s to the 1970s in its new exhibition, Recovery, Resilience, Resurgence, curated by Edward Stokes who founded The Photographic Heritage Foundation. It features images by renowned photographers Hedda Morrison, Lee Fook Chee and Brian Brake, and coincides with celebrations to commemorate 10 years of ASHK at the Former Explosives Magazine.

The more than 80 black-and-white and colored photographs on display span three decades of great change, from the post-war recovery in 1946-1947, resilience of the 1950s, and resurgence of the 1960s-1970s. Hedda Morrison, Lee Fook Chee and Brian Brake had markedly different life stories and photographic objectives, though all of them in their own way recorded Hong Kong’s economic, social and cultural trajectory during its modern, crucible decades, and preserve the city’s photographic heritage for generations to come.

German-born Hedda Morrison’s 30 black-and-white photographs depict Hong Kong in 1946-1947, when she lived in the city for six months and photographed almost every aspect of the colony, forming a diverse record of the city’s post-war recovery. She was a documentary photographer who created historically significant images of Beijing, Hong Kong and Sarawak from the 1930s to 1960s. Her images of Hong Kong, like her prior work in China and later images of Southeast Asia, reflect her high regard for ordinary people.

Singaporean photographer Lee Fook Chee arrived in Hong Kong in 1947, and photographed the city over the next decade, earning a simple living by selling his photos to tourists on The Peak. He initially took and sold portraits, and later mainly sold his Hong Kong photos, as seen in this exhibition, which has on display nearly 40 of his black-and-white images that highlight the changes Hong Kong experienced in the 1950s.

Recovery, Resilience, Resurgence includes 20 colored images that portray Hong Kong from the 1960s to 1970s by Brian Brake, New Zealand’s most successful international photographer who based himself in Hong Kong from 1962 to 1976. Prior to moving to the city, he travelled the world for prestigious photo agency Magnum, during which time his work appeared regularly in iconic contemporary photo magazines, notably Life Magazine, for which he has shot the most covers and famed Monsoon series, and National Geographic.

The exhibition is complemented by programs to further engage the community. A panel discussion between scholars, photographers and curators will discuss Hong Kong’s heritage inspired by the exhibition. As part of the Stories to Remember program, the elderly community will share their memories of Hong Kong with the young generation who will be invited to create a drawing, poem, short story or music inspired by these stories. Award-winning photographer Bobby Lee will lead a Remembering and Storytelling workshop, during which participants will learn how to use photographs to tell the story of Hong Kong.

ASHK extends its gratitude to exhibition sponsor Dr Patrick S.C. Poon SBS and MASTER-INSIGHT.COM, and supporters Karson Choi BBS, Swire Group Charitable Trust and Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation as well as the Australian Consulate-General Hong Kong for making the exhibition possible.