In 2025, photographer Chan Dick will celebrate the 10th anniversary of his series, CEMENT-ERY. This collection not only reflects his thoughts on the redevelopment of Yue Man Square in Kwun Tong, the community where he grew up, but also preserves the memories of his mother, who passed away earlier this year.
In this special moment, the Hong Kong photography platform PhotogStory curated a small exhibition titled “CEMENT-ERY” for Chan Dick, showcasing this series of photos that combine wall surfaces with Hong Kong’s urban landscapes for the first time. Familiar landscapes emerge through the remaining wall marks like reflections, encouraging viewers to contemplate the delicate relationship between urban redevelopment and preservation.
In 2015, as the Kwun Tong Town Centre Redevelopment Project progressed rapidly, Chan Dick returned to Yue Man Square on a quiet afternoon. He wandered back into the familiar community and, out of curiosity, stepped into Yue Wah Mansion, which was already empty and desolate. Strolling through the staircase, the wires that once cluttered the corners had been removed, but their traces were still clearly visible. At that moment of inspiration, the twisted wire marks reminded him of the mountains’ outline and inexplicably brought to mind the scenery of the Tsing Ma Bridge.
The South 淺水灣
As he carefully explored the walls, he noticed wave-like indentations on another wall that resembled the waves of ukiyo-e, matching the view from Hung Hom towards Central. That day, the photographer took seven photographs, some depicting clouds resembling cotton candy, while others look like long-exposure star trails. When I interviewed Chan Dick years ago, I was deeply captivated by this series of works and amazed that he could envision so many landscapes on mottled walls through his extraordinary imagination. However, these photos, created concurrently with his iconic work “Chai Wan Fire Station,” had never been exhibited before.
Returning to Yue Man Square a decade later, Chan Dick saw that Yue Wah Mansion had been demolished, leaving behind a pile of black rubble mixed with debris. Imagining these were the traces left behind by the building, he picked up stones and held them in his hand. They were heavy and dark, stirring a wave of nostalgia and mixed emotions within him. It is time to sort through these thoughts intertwined with memories and feelings of familial affection.
Chan Dick — CEMENT-ERY
Date: March 15 – April 13, 2025
Time: 11am-1pm, 2pm-6pm (Tuesday to Sunday)
Venue: Lumenvisum LUMOS Mini Gallery, L2-2, JCCAC, 30 Pak Tin Street, Shek Kip Mei
About Chan Dick
Chan Dick studied graphic design and first became involved in photography when given his graduation assignment. As a still-life and architectural photographer, he is devoted to creating personal works, often touching on social issues and everyday life discoveries.
While fascinated by simple lines and minimalistic compositions, Chan’s works emphasize the ambiguous attraction between reality and illusion. His iconic series “Chai Wan Fire Station” earned him first prizes respectively at the Tokyo International Foto Awards and the Hong Kong Photo Book Awards. This series was exhibited in Japan and the Netherlands and collected by the Hong Kong Heritage Museum and Japan’s Irie Taikichi Memorial Museum of Photography Nara City.
Chan also collaborated with the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong by photographing their collection of human specimens. He produced an aesthetic set of images called “The Trek,” which challenges the general public’s shared perception of the topic. The work was published as a photo book and won a Gold Prize at the Tokyo International Foto Awards (TIFA).
About PhotogStory
Hong Kong-based Photography platform PhotogStory was founded by photography writer and curator LAU Tung-Pui. The platform introduces local & international photographers’ artwork, the history behind classic images, and photo books.
PhotoStory’s curated exhibitions include Hidden Town at Wure Area (Kowloon Bay), Chun Wai’s solo exhibition at Kubrick (Yau Mai Tei), Mak Fung‘s solo exhibition at EastPro Gallery (Causeway Bay) and co-curated group exhibitions at Boogie Woogie Photography (Wong Chuk Hang) and at Fine Art Asia 2024.
SHOOTING HOOPS is an exhibition at Blue Lotus Gallery and an accompanying photo book launch that showcases Austin Bell’s photographic documentation of all 2,549 outdoor basketball courts in Hong Kong.
Basketball is one of the most popular sports among Hong Kong’s young people, and outdoor courts are often found at schools, playgrounds, and public housing estates.
When US photographer Austin Bell first visited Hong Kong in 2017, he was intrigued by the color and design of the city’s basketball courts. He returned in 2019 to photograph all of them.
His project expanded to include multiple visits and documented 2,549 courts in nearly five months with over 40,000 photos. Bell was drawn to these courts for their vivid designs, often featuring bright colors and accompanying the colorful housing estates and nearby schools. This vibrancy becomes even more pronounced from above, providing a striking contrast to the city’s vertical density.
The Shooting Hoops book showcases all the courts in Hong Kong and includes additional statistics, Bell’s article, and architectural and photographic commentary on the project.
Yasumasa Morimura and Cindy Sherman: Masquerades 14 Dec 2024- 5 May 2025 @ M+ Museum
For the first time worldwide, M+ presents a two-person exhibition of the photographic works of Japanese artist Yasumasa Morimura (b. 1951) and The US artist Cindy Sherman (b. 1954).
Both artists are celebrated for their innovative and conceptual staged photography, which alters their appearances to embody various identities and offer incisive commentary on contemporary culture and history.
The exhibition titled Yasumasa Morimura and Cindy Sherman: Masquerades highlights significant works from their early series and explores the evolution of their artistic practices, which reinterpret iconic visuals from art history, film, and media culture.
1981年，27歲的北島敬三憑藉作品《寫真特急便：沖繩》獲得日本寫真協會新人獎，帶著新人獎的獎學金來到紐約。那時他住在東村的公寓，每天帶著相機外出拍攝，下雨天就在公寓的黑房工作。在深圳5A1 Art Space展覽現場，他回憶起那時的畫面：「公寓外的街道停滿廢棄的汽車，輪胎甚至引擎被偷走了；電話亭也是壞掉的，裡面的硬幣空空如也。」
美國西部同樣孕育出偉大作品，已故時尚及人像攝影師Richard Avedon在1980年代於美國西部拍攝的人像作品《In The American West》被喻為經典。在40年後的2023年夏天，現居香港的法國攝影師Harold de Puymorin與朋友騎乘著哈利電單車，踏上一趟穿越美國西部的攝影之旅。
Roger Ballen是當今世紀最具影響力和最重要的攝影藝術家之一，攝影生涯逾五十年，標誌性作品是在南非拍攝的怪誕風格人像及一系列擺拍作品，畫面中的氛圍詭譎不安，視覺效果非常震撼。2022年，他是代表南非參加第五十九屆意大利威尼斯雙年展的三位藝術家之一。
Isabelle Boccon-Gibod (法國，1968)
Isabelle Boccon-Gibod是一名工程師，曾就讀於巴黎中央理工學院和紐約哥倫比亞大學。她的職業生涯融合藝術和工業，最初從事拼貼和裝置藝術創作，二十年前她選擇以攝影作為主要創作媒介。她的作品屬於專題式創作，如巴黎橋底風景(Paris Under The Bridges)、建築物空間(南法小鎮的E1027別墅)等。她現於法國巴黎生活和工作，作品被巴黎龐比度藝術中心收藏。
作為一位充滿熱情的冒險家，居港法國攝影師Harold de Puymorin曾在許多不同的國家生活和旅行，包括啟發他攝影生涯的緬甸。他有敏銳的洞察力，作品總能喚起觀者的情感及好奇心。過去十多年，他曾與Louis Vuitton和Dom Perignon等品牌合作。除了商業作品外，他的攝影藝術也在亞洲眾多藝術博覽會上展出。
Reo Ma (香港，1992)
在倫敦主修時裝設計的Reo Ma，同名品牌REO MA在時裝界獲得不少好評。作為藝術家的Reo，將生活視為一個神秘的夢想——一種不受束縛的思想形式。他有豐富的想像力與創造力，喜歡跨媒介創作，既熱衷於焊接金屬、也重組車輛賦予新意義。2021年，他發起「WAR ON CULTURE」活動，以遊擊藝術的方式在香港、倫敦和巴黎的街頭展出雕塑作品。
Hong Kong Photographer Mak Fung (1918-2009) began photographing in the mid-1940s and documented the city’s street views and grassroots for more than half a century.
Hong Kong Once Was: 1946-1980s, a tribute exhibition to Mak Fung, was inspired by his 1997 photo book. It is an exquisite collection of photographs of old Hong Kong taken by Mak Fung from 1946 to the 1990s.
Hong Kong was a small fishing village. In Mak Fung’s photos, images of sampans in Aberdeen and drying salted fishes in Tai O remind us of its past. As a colonial city, Hong Kong’s architecture, such as the third-generation General Post Office in Central and Hong Kong Club Building, is reminiscent of history. Mak Fung’s lens also captures the street scene of Hong Kong and the daily life of ordinary people, such as the Graham Street market and the peddler on the street.
The exhibition showcases over 20 silver gelatin prints made in the 1990s and Mak Fung’s publications.
Hong Kong Once Was: 1946-1980s
Mak Fung Photo Exhibition
Date: 7-21, Dec, 2024
Time: 2:30-7pm(Wed-Fri), 2:30-6pm(Weekends)
Venue: Eastpro Gallery, 9A, Hyde Centre, 223 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay
Whether in the movies or in reality, the US has always fascinated visitors. The country has inspired generations of photographers, from Robert Frank in the 1950s to today’s young street photographers.
Boogie Woogie Photography & PhotogStory are pleased to present a group exhibition, MADE IN USA, which brings together the works of eight artists exploring this theme. The exhibition will be held at the Loft in Wong Chuk Hang from 30 November 2024 to 24 January 2025.
It is a journey that embraces the diverse voices that have defined America and envisions stories still waiting to be told:
New York is the City; everyone sees and feels it from their perspective. Japanese photographer Takeshi Shikama‘s platinum print of Central Park is meditative and elegant; New York in the 1950s under the lens of Swiss-French photographer Sabine Weiss is dynamic. Meanwhile, US photographer Louis Stettner, who spent 70 years photographing Manhattan, captured the full spectrum of color within its urban scenery.
Harold de PuymorinHarold de Puymorin
In 2023, French photographer Harold de Puymorin embarked on an unforgettable photography trip across the Western USA, riding his Harley Davidson to explore the open roads of the American expanse. Through the endless deserts and flourishing mountains, Harold’s pictures show the diversity and richness of the United States and encourage those who dare to pursue their dreams.
Also in Western US, French photographer Isabelle Boccon-Gibod visited friends in Sun City Palm Forest, a residential community of 5,000 households with regulations so strict that she felt overwhelmed with anxiety. Only the instant film images of the sun and the road she embarked on during her subsequent journey could relieve her from such anguish.
Isabelle Boccon-Gibod
Hong Kong artist Reo Ma‘s motorbike installation echoes Harold de Puymorin’s road trip images. Vehicles symbolise speed and freedom but have also historically driven consumer culture forward, both in the US and elsewhere. Accompanying the motorbike are selected works from Reo, each representing his perceptions of our culture during his “road trip” of exploring the outer and inner worlds.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong artist Damon Tong used the “Made in China” stickers to collage the US flag. It can also be interpreted as a reflection of capitalism and consumerism in a broader sense.
US photographer Roger Ballen‘s staged photograph resonates with the exhibition’s titled theme. It portrays a constrained Superman who turns into a fragmented puppet. When Superman is no longer Superman, what becomes of the American dream?
Roger Ballen, Superman. All images Courtesy of Boogie Woogie Photography.
Boogie Woogie Photography is also pleased to present, with the prestigious Kraemer Gallery from Paris, 18th-century French museum-quality furniture and decorative art.
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.
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.
As one of the most celebrated photographers of the 20th century, Louis Stettner’s work included streetscapes, portraits, and images of New York, which he continued to photograph for seven decades. His work stands out in photography due to his ability to convey profound human emotions and everyday life with an understated yet powerful authenticity. Stettner’s work was collected by the V&A Museum in London, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Sabine Weiss decided to become a photographer when she was eighteen, during a time when being a photographer was not a common profession, especially for a woman. She was apprenticed under photographers Frédéric Boissonnas and Willy Maywald, and Vogue hired her as a photo reporter and fashion photographer in 1952. Robert Doisneau discovered her photography and asked her to join the humanist-leaning photo agency Rapho, allowing her to work and travel for many other publications such as Time, Life, Newsweek, and Paris-Match.
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 himself 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, reflecting Shikama’s intimacy with his subject matter.
Roger Ballen’s photographs span over fifty 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.
Isabelle was trained as an Engineer at Ecole Centrale Paris and Columbia University. Her life has mixed art and industry throughout her career. Having first worked on collages and installations, she elected photography twenty years ago as her core medium. Her work is project-based, photography offering the means and the pretext to explore specific territories. She likes to employ ad-hoc techniques. Centre Pompidou in Paris collects her work.
Damon Tong received a Bachelor of Fine Art from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University (co-presented with the Hong Kong Art School) in 2008 and a Master of Visual Arts from the Hong Kong Baptist University in 2013. His creations mainly revolve around mundane events in his daily life, creating sticker collages comprised of thousands of small stickers assembled into simple phrases or patterns. The work may seem banal initially, but its overly repetitive arrangement suggests an overtone. The bright colors and patterns of the stickers provide a visually stimulating experience, albeit the conceptual content of the work is deliberately straightforward.
As a passionate adventurer, The Hong Kong-based French photographer Harold de Puymorin has lived and traveled in many different countries, including Myanmar, where his photography career began. With a keen eye for thought-provoking composition, his work is immersive and emotionally evocative, often arousing a deep sense of curiosity. Over the last 12 years, Harold has worked with brands such as Louis Vuitton and Dom Perignon. Besides commercial work, his photographic art was exhibited at numerous art fairs in Asia.
Reo Ma’s creativity has free rein in the myriad of mediums and materials he works with. With a background in fashion design, he has an affinity for hands-on production: he welds metal, moulds concrete and dismantles vehicles, all skills he taught himself. His sculptural objects thus take on a raw, unrefined visual quality that reflects the spontaneity and immediacy of his art-making. In 2021, Reo initiated War on Culture, a pseudonym that anyone can take on as long as they create works against the homogenisation of culture. In the fashion of guerrilla art, he has been putting up sculptural works since 2021 on the streets of Hong Kong, London, and Paris.
