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 exhibition 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 different 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.

My Hong Kong, 我城  

Date: 3 Sep – 1 Oct, 11-15 Oct 2022

Time: 2-7pm (Tuesday – Saturday)

Address: The Loft, 8/F, E Wah Factory Building, 

56-60 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Wong Chuk Hang. 

Guided tour with the artists: Saturday 10 September, 2-4pm

PS: 4-8 Oct will be exhibiting at Fine Art Asia in HKCEC Wan Chai.

About Boogie Woogie Photography 

Boogie Woogie Photography is a company founded in Hong Kong in 2016 to promote photography in Asia. The mission is to act as a platform for galleries, collectors, companies, and photographers aiming to develop photography projects in Hong Kong and Asia. 

About PhotogStory

PhotogStory is an online Photography platform and Guest Curator based in Hong Kong. We focus on stories of local and international photographers and stories behind classic photos.

Artists Profile

Raymond Cauchetier (France, 1920-2021)

Raymond Cauchetier was the most famous photographer of French New Wave cinema. His first photographs were taken in his thirties while serving in the press corps of the French Air Force in Indochina. Cauchetier traveled through Hong Kong in 1954 because the city was conveniently on the air route he had chosen on his way to France on his return from Indochina. He thought he would stay there for only 24 hours, but the city fascinated him, and his stay extended for one week. Hong Kong was still a quiet colonial city. It was a port and a compulsory crossing point for sailors rather than a place to stay. He left a bouquet of memories, a little yellowed but always authentic. 

James Chung (China, 1925-2018)

James Chung embarked on his journey in photography in 1957 when he acquired his first Rolleicord. Entirely self-taught, he became a full-time movie-still photographer in 1963. James started his studio in North Point In 1968, focusing on portraits for commercials and print enlargement. His achievements in photography were further recognized by the Honorary Fellowship from the Photographic Society of Hong Kong and Fellowship from the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain later. The Hong Kong Heritage Museum collects his works.

Fan Ho (China, 1931-2016)

Dubbed the “Cartier-Bresson of the East”, Fan Ho patiently always waited for the decisive moment. His images are often a collision of the unexpected, framed against a very clever composed background of geometrical construction, patterns, and texture. He often created drama and atmosphere with backlit effects or through the combination of smoke and light. His favorite locations were the streets, alleys, and markets around dusk or life on the sea. His works were in many private and public collections, including the M+ Museum & the Heritage Museum in Hong Kong, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in the USA, and many more.

Takeshi Shikama (Japan, 1948)

Takeshi Shikama’s life ambition is to capture the “invisible” world that lingers beyond the visible world of the trees. Each photograph is hand-printed by Takeshi Shikama, using the ancient platinum/palladium technique, considered the highest quality in black and white photographic printing. The Japanese Gampi paper on which he prints is a handmade UNESCO national treasure. It requires a great deal of time and manual labor, which reflects the intimacy Shikama has with his subject matter.

Roger Ballen (the United States, 1950)

Roger Ballen’s photographs span over forty years, and he is one of the most influential and important photographic artists of the 21st century. His strange and extreme works confront the viewer and challenge them to come with him on a journey into their minds as he explores the deeper recesses of his own. Roger Ballen is one of the artists representing South Africa at the Venice Biennale 2022 in Italy.

Chun Wai (Hong Kong, 1958)

Born in Hong Kong and educated at the École supérieure des beaux-arts de Mulhouse in France, photographer Chun Wai’s perspective lies in his humanistic vision and macro-historical framework in interpreting the changing world. His project covered a vast area in the region, including Hong Kong. His work is full of a sorrowful yet romantic mood and reveals his personal landscape. The phantasmagorical image like a rhythm poem of a stray, is a unique work of art. 

Thierry Cohen (France, 1963)

Thierry Cohen has been a professional photographer since 1985 and a pioneer in the use of digital techniques from the end of the 1980s. He lives and works between Paris and Monségur, close to the Atlantic Coast. Since 2006, he has devoted most of his time to personal work. Thierry is interested in the impact of human activities, particularly on nature. His works are held in private and public collections and regularly exhibited in New York, Los Angeles, and Paris.

Stephen King (the United States, 1966)

Stephen is an award-winning photographer based in Hong Kong, known for his painterly and carefully composed depictions of the natural and urban landscape. A product of two cultures, Stephen points to his love of Chinese ink and American Abstract Expressionist painting as influences that help inform his aesthetic. Ordinarily an intrepid world traveler, due to the pandemic, Stephen has spent much of the last few years in Hong Kong, exploring the colors and light in Hong Kong’s urban environment.

Julian Cohen (the United Kingdom, 1967)

Julian came to Hong Kong in 1998 for three months, fell in love with the city, and has stayed. He was called to

the Hong Kong Bar in 2010 and founded Resolution Chambers in 2021. He is today a renowned Barrister & Arbitrator. He photographs the city with his passion for the place and people.

Dustin Shum (Hong Kong, 1971)

Dustin Shum is a Hong Kong-based artist and documentary photographer. He has published several monographs on various topics, including Themeless Parks (2008), BLOCKS, and Live and Times (both in 2014). His works were collected by the SFMoMA, the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, and private collectors.

Jocelyne Ho (Hong Kong, 1973)

Jocelyne has always been interested in photography – not to be behind or in front of a camera, but to see through a different pair of eyes, perhaps because she was aware that her eyes did not give her 20/20 vision. To her, everyone is a photographer. We may be looking in the same direction, the same object, but she believes we all see differently, and we choose which images to imprint on our minds.

Felix Sze Chung Wong (Hong Kong, 1991)

His passion for photography was sparked during high school by his peers and father. After a few years working as a photographer assistant for photographers of different sectors, Felix decided to study further in the field of art in the UK. Felix Sze Chung Wong is a Photographic artist who explores one’s relationship with the city through its facades.

Dion Leung (Hong Kong, 1999)

Dion Leung is a Hong Kong-based visual artist, mainly working with photography, videography, and collage. She explores topics of rebellion and conflict with a practice of realism. As a self-taught artist, Dion is constantly looking for the expression of art amongst human interaction in other disciplines. Having an interest in history and politics, she is trying to fulfill her understanding of the sophisticated world through her art practice and reminding herself that everything true is beautiful.