伴隨藝術家蘇慶強最新攝影集《華南人物誌》面世，香港攝影書店空間「顯影堂」為此舉辦同名展覽，展出多幅於1990年代至千禧年代在華南地區拍攝的人像作品。

早於改革開放初期的1981年，蘇慶強已踏足中國拍攝。在交通不便利的當年，那時他每逢假期就前往內地拍攝，由雲南、四川到西藏、新疆及哈爾濱，足迹遍及大江南北，拍攝眼前見聞。 由最初拍攝各地的風光面貌及人民生活作息，十多年後他慢慢把拍攝地域轉向華南地區，並再將範圍收窄至鄰近香港的廣東省，尤其是民風傳統、家族觀念濃厚的廣東潮汕一帶，深入了解當地人的真實生活。

從1995年開始，蘇慶強展開多年的城鎮和鄉村攝影計畫，以120中片幅相機替代最初的135相機，從而以更嚴謹和淸晰的方式，去捕捉更多生活面貌的細節。這系列作品最初取名《華南地誌》，而人像攝影部分是其中重要系列之一，這系列的部分作品更被香港藝術館和香港文化博物館收藏。拍攝逾30年，這批珍貴影像如今結集成精美攝影集，淬煉成《華南人物誌》。

---

蘇慶強說，人的身體語言、表情和衣飾，均能呈現被攝者的生活面貌和內心世界。看其人像作品，總是被相片中人物的神情所吸引，不論是滿臉皺紋的老人、充滿稚氣的孩童，還是身穿紅色外衣的女人，幾乎都是喜怒不形於色，但他們的舉止及所處的環境，似乎又透露出某些訊息。

展覽海報照片中的小男孩，身穿蠟筆小新服飾、手握玩具手槍，背景是紅色的「崛起」二子，在在透露著某個時代的氣息。更令人印象深刻的是一幅老婦肖像，她姿勢端莊地坐在金色屏風前，臉上皺紋充滿歲月痕迹，屏風上的紋飾是「嚙指痛心」與「行傭供母」兩則二十四孝故事，令人對畫面中人物產生好奇。她的藍色衣服給人一種貴族的感覺，在金色屏風背景前更顯隆重，恍如西方肖像畫。

對蘇慶強而言，不同的攝影工具，不只觀看事物的方式不一樣，也會影響被攝者的心態。他時常帶上兩部相機拍攝，一部儍瓜機拍攝對方想要的照片，一部哈蘇相機捕捉自己追求的畫面。有趣的是，用儍瓜機時氣氛比較輕鬆，當用哈蘇相機拍攝時，被攝者會頓時變得凝重，甚至穿上漂亮衣服拍照。哈蘇相機的拍攝過程恍如一種儀式，蘇慶強透過自然光線，讓這群樸素的農村平民百姓，展現出宛如西方名畫人像的自信與高尚情操。

---

「去年今日此門中，人面桃花相映紅。人面不知何處去，桃花依舊笑春風。」在整理這批多年心血時，蘇慶強感慨萬千。過去逾30年，他持續在華南地區拍攝人物肖像，從中呈現出他們的變化。回想當年，在偏遠的鄉村地區，純樸的人們似乎仍在維持着某些傳統價值。改革開放後，內地急速發展，如今重看，不僅某些傳統改變，連人的精神面貌也已截然不同。當年鏡頭前天真爛漫的小孩、淳樸的老者，如今不知身在何方？

《華南人物誌》不僅是一本出色的人像攝影作品集，更見證著中國改革開放初期，基層平民的生活面貌與歷史變遷。這些影像超越個人情感，承載著時代的面貌與被攝者的生命軌跡。

展覽詳情

日期：2026年10月31日至12月5日

時間：星期四至六下午2時至7時（需預約 @devedo.hk ）

地點：黃竹坑業勤街33號金來工業大廈二座6J室

蘇慶強

畢業於香港理工大學攝影設計系，曾任教香港理工大學及香港藝術學院，現為香港中文大學藝術系客席講師。1995年獲亞洲文化協會獎學金赴美國進修，1998年及2023年分別獲香港藝術發展局視藝發展獎和視覺藝術家年獎，2001年獲香港當代藝術雙年獎。蘇氏曾於世界各地舉辦多次個展及聯展，作品獲香港藝術館、香港文化博物館及香港城市大學等機構收藏。

顯影堂

由香港攝影平台「顯影 PhotogStory」創辦人及攝影策展人劉東佩在2025年成立的「顯影堂 DEVEDO」，是香港罕有專注攝影書籍的書店及展覽空間。店內除了出售多種攝影書籍及限量版攝影作品外，也定期舉辦攝影文化相關講座及策劃攝影展覽。

---

SO Hing Keung – South China Portraits

To accompany the release of artist SO Hing Keung’s latest photography book, South China Portraits, the Hong Kong photography bookstore space DEVEDO is hosting a self-titled exhibition featuring multiple portrait works captured in Southern China from the 1990s to the 2000s.

So Hing Keung set foot in China in 1981. At the start of the reform and opening-up period, transportation was inconvenient; he traveled to the mainland numerous times—from Yunnan and Sichuan to Tibet, Xinjiang, and Harbin—leaving his footprints across the country as he captured what he saw.

He began by photographing landscapes and people’s daily lives, then gradually shifted toward portrait photography. So Hing Keung narrowed his focus to Guangdong Province, near Hong Kong—especially the Chaoshan region, known for strong traditional folkways and family values. Beginning in 1995, he embarked on a multi-year portrait photography project, replacing his initial 135 camera with a Hasselblad 120 to capture locals’ lifestyles more rigorously.

As a photographer, So Hing Keung notes that a person’s body language, expressions, and clothing can all reveal their lifestyle and inner world. In his portraits, viewers are always drawn to the subjects’ expressions. Whether it is an old lady full of wrinkles, an innocent child, or a woman wearing a red coat, they almost all keep their emotions hidden. Yet, their gestures and surroundings seem to hint at certain messages.

A little boy wears a Crayon Shin-chan outfit and holds a toy gun against a red background featuring the characters for “Rise,” subtly evoking a particular era. Even more striking is the portrait of an older woman. Sitting with a dignified posture in front of a golden folding screen, her blue clothing gives her an aristocratic air. Against the golden screen, she looks especially solemn, resembling a classical portrait painting.

For him, different photographic tools not only change how one observes things, but also shape the subject’s mindset. He often carries two cameras: a point-and-shoot for the photos people want, and a Hasselblad for the images he pursues.

Interestingly, the atmosphere is much more relaxed with the point-and-shoot, whereas subjects immediately turn serious, and even dress up, when photographed with the Hasselblad. Using a Hasselblad feels ritualistic. Through natural light, So Hing Keung lets these plain rural villagers show confidence and noble grace.

Over the past 30 years, he has continued to photograph portraits in South China, reflecting changes among the people. In the past, simple-hearted people in remote rural areas still seemed to uphold certain traditional values. After reform and opening up, the mainland developed rapidly. Looking back today, not only have certain traditions changed, but people’s spiritual outlook has also changed completely.

South China Portraits is not only an outstanding collection of portrait photography, but it also bears witness to the lives of grassroots citizens and the historical changes during the early days of China’s reform and opening-up. These images transcend personal emotion, carrying the face of an era and the life trajectories of those photographed.

Exhibition Details

Date: October 31 – December 5, 2026

Time: 2-7PM (Thursday–Saturday, by Appointment)

Venue: DEVEDO, 6J, Block 2 Kingley Industrial Building, 33 Yip Kan Street, Wong Chuk Hang, Hong Kong

SO Hing Keung

SO Hing Keung graduated from Hong Kong Polytechnic University with a degree in Photographic Design. He has worked as a lecturer at Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Hong Kong Art School. He is currently a part-time lecturer in the Department of Fine Arts at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

He received the Photographic Fellowship from the Asian Cultural Council (1995), the Prize of Excellence at the 2001 Hong Kong Art Biennial, and the Visual Artist of the Year Award (2023) from the Hong Kong Arts Development Council. Since the 1980s, his works have been shown worldwide and collected by the Hong Kong Museum of Art, the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, City University of Hong Kong, and others.

DEVEDO 顯影堂

DEVEDO is one of Hong Kong’s distinguished photography bookstores, founded in July 2025 by LAU Tung-Pui, photography curator and founder of the Hong Kong photography platform PhotogStory. In addition to offering a wide selection of photography books, DEVEDO also regularly hosts photography talks and exhibitions.