對許多人來說，家是容身之所；對毛利人酷兒藝術家J Davies而言，家更是一種情感的依歸。此心安處是吾家，藝術家現時在香港的展覽《Home (Away From Home》，藉著在家與離家拍攝的親密影像，既記錄當代酷兒的生活面貌，同時也探索他們的親密關係與家的歸屬感。
家的不同定義
展覽標題《Home (Away From Home》可以分為兩部份去解讀，但探索的同樣是情侶或朋友間的情感。Home是指藝術家在家中以及在墨爾本拍攝身邊朋友的親密時刻，他們或擁抱或依偎，有的在嬉戲或親熱，記錄著澳洲酷兒的日常。至於Away From Home則是在世界各地旅行時的記錄，例如作品中有一幅在越南拍攝的一張亂成一團的床，即使相片不在家中拍攝，卻能令J Davies感受到家的儀式感及安全感。「我與朋友的親密關係，令我覺得有一種家的感覺。當時我和三個朋友住在一起，他們的床都在樓上，每天早上我們都會在這張床上討論當日的行程。床變成一個聚會場所，見證我們的親近關係。」
Sereyrath的作品向來關注環保及社會不公等議題，她從研究報告得知，2018年竣工的水力發電大壩工程Lower Se San 2 Dam，導致多個村落被摧毀淹沒，不但迫使數千名村民搬遷，由於大壩阻止魚類洄遊等原因，生活在河流沿岸的原住民賴以生存的漁業資源也大幅減少，而且他們的生活環境只會越來越差。
對觀者而言，這個展覽或許也是一種「沉浸式體驗」，當人們進入房間後，溫度會發生輕微的變化，藉此帶出溫度對人類心理影響的訊息。只是，作為觀眾的我們，在展場的「溫室」效果下，頂多只是感覺比較侷促，甚至是流汗。然而對生活在當地的村民而言，他們所面臨的困境，更關乎生存環境。「如果溫度持續升高、情況繼續惡化的話，那麼它將改變那裡所有的一切。」 或許，這正如她為展覽撰寫的詩句所言：When the sacred sun reaches the sacred river, we will know we are not in control。
Sereyrath Mech《When the Sun Reaches the River》 @ 【香港國際攝影節2023衛星展覽】
致力於推廣攝影藝術的Boogie Woogie Photography與香港攝影平台「顯影 PhotogStory」在黃竹坑畫廊空間呈獻法國攝影師Willy Ronis個展《Capturing Life: The Photography of Willy Ronis》，展期由2023年9月16日至10月21日。
Place de la Concorde, Paris 1952, Courtesy of Boogie Woogie Photography.
Willy Ronis (1910-2009) 的攝影生涯從1926年橫跨至2001年，即使在91歲高齡時仍在拍攝，他最廣為人知的座右銘是「我外出時從來不會不帶相機，即使去買麵包亦是 (I never, ever went out without my camera, even to buy bread)」，持續拍攝的動力背後，可見他對生活的熱情，以及對世界的好奇心。
1948至1950年，他是首位為美國著名雜誌《LIFE》拍攝照片的法國攝影記者。1951年底至1952年初，在紐約現代藝術博物館 (MoMA) 舉行的《Five French Photographers》展覽，展出當時最重要的五位法國攝影師，包括布列松及Robert Doisneau，Willy Ronis的名字也赫然在目，可見他的重要地位。
Le Nu Provençal, 1949The Little Parisian, 1952.
作為二戰後法國人文主義攝影的先驅之一，Willy Ronis擅於在平凡中發現美感與詩意，從熙熙攘攘的街道到戀人之間的親密時刻，記錄法式生活的浪漫與優雅。他有多幅代表作，尤其以「買麵包的小男孩」與「巴士底廣場的戀人」最廣為人知。1952年拍攝的《The Little Parisian》，照片捕捉一位身穿短褲恤衫及毛衣背心的小男孩抱著法式長棍麵包跑過，天真可愛的男孩面帶微笑，感覺無憂無慮。
另一幅標誌性作品是1957年拍攝的《Lovers at the Bastille》，將巴黎戀人互相依偎的畫面定格下來，展現出巴黎的浪漫一面。相片同時記錄當時的城市景觀，他們身處巴士底廣場七月柱觀景台，背景是巴黎的鳥瞰景觀，遠處正是花都的地標——巴黎聖母院及巴黎鐵塔。展覽現場另一幅攝於1949年的《Le Nu Provençal》，也是其經典照片之一，捕捉其全裸妻子Marie-Anne Lansiaux在普羅旺斯家中的親密瞬間。
Lovers at the Bastille, Paris, 1957. Courtesy of Boogie Woogie Photography.
Hong Kong Stories, A Photography & Photobook Exhibition
Photography was introduced to the world in 1839, and Hong Kong became British Empire’s colony in 1841. The coincidence and proximity in time connect photography to Hong Kong’s history. To a certain extent, photographic images construct our impression of Hong Kong. Especially in the 20th century, when many Hong Kong and foreign photographers roamed or passed through Hong Kong, they captured the city’s appearances differently.
PhotogStory is pleased to present “Hong Kong Stories,” a group exhibition of old Hong Kong images, along with more than 50 old Hong Kong photo books by multiple Hong Kong and international photographers, as clues to connect Hong Kong’s stories in the 20th century.
Everyone sees and feels the city from their perspective. Hong Kong is a vibrant city under the lens of the late photographers Yau Leung and Ngan Chun Tung in the 1960s to 1970s. The fleeting moments captured by the French New Wave set photographer Raymond Cauchetier in 1954 reflect people’s simple life. Their photographs left a critical testimony of the precious era.
Hong Kong Stories
Date: 1 August – 17 September 2023
Time: 11am – 8pm
Site: House by Kubrick, 5/F, Cityplaza, Tai Koo
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.
PhotogStory is pleased to present “A Revelrous Heterotopia – The South Stand of Hong Kong,” a solo exhibition by Hong Kong photographer Chun Wai at Kubrick in Yau Ma Tei from 3 July to 30 August 2023.
The Chancellors, cardinal, batman, court nobles, disheveled policemen, Snow White, and a lame ballet dancer will be on stage at Kubrick bookstore, surprisingly.
Chun Wai’s photo project – A Revelrous Heterotopia – The South Stand of Hong Kong, is elegant and absurd. For more than 20 years since 1995, he recorded diligently the snippets of life that transpired in the Hong Kong Sevens. With his rigorous visual senses, each captured moment was examined for its inner meaning and metaphor.
The photographer cleverly used the cold background of the concrete wall with a medium gray scale color tone, slowly pushing the inner tension of the image. The hilarious character roles and the comic-style visual element as if they come from an indefinite time and space.
The exhibition is accompanied by the homonymous photo book at the Kubrick bookstore.
The book contains over a hundred portraits and three essays that provide readers with different perspectives, exploring issues such as the reverse thinking inspired by the origin of rugby, the association between the phenomenon of raving fans and the meaning behind the “Carnival Culture” proposed by the former Soviet literary theorist Bakhtin, the relationship between photography and theatre and the language and thinking of photography.
A Reverlous Heterotopia -The South Stand of Hong Kong is a light-hearted, humorous collection of photographs and a photo essay presenting a different thought.
A Revelrous Heterotopia – The South Stand of Hong Kong
Date: 3 July – 30 August 2023
Time: 11:30am-10pm (Every day)
Address: Kubrick, Shop H2, Prosperous Garden, 3 Public Square Street, Yau Ma Tei
秦偉曾多次獲頒人權新聞獎。已出版作品包括《異域狂歡》、《時間的漫遊》、《另一段的地平線》、《在天堂之下》及《板間人生》。作品獲香港大學美術博物館、香港文化博物館、法國Mulhouse市政府、阿根廷薩塔爾當代美術館（Museum of Contemporary Art of Salta，Argentina）收藏。
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.
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.
Boogie Woogie Photography & PhotogStory are pleased to present “Reminiscence,” a solo exhibition by Elsa Jeandedieu, a Hong Kong-based muralist and visual artist, at the Loft in Wong Chuk Hang from 29 June to 22 July 2023. The exhibition is presented together with 18th-century French museum-quality furniture and decorative art displayed by the prestigious Kraemer Gallery from Paris.
Born and raised in southern France, Elsa’s artistic journey began at a young age, experimenting with various mediums and techniques. Her passion for painting was ignited by French art history and family background, drawing inspiration from great artists – notably by the textures of French painter and sculptor Pierre Soulages or the use of colors by Mark Rothko and Piet Mondrian. Her signature style emerged as she honed her craft, a harmonious blend of vibrant hues, bold compositions, and expressive brushstrokes.
Elsa Jeandedieu, Waterfront, 2023, Courtesy of Boogie Woogie Photography
Elsa has been expanding her creative talents and bringing her unique texture artworks and murals to Hong Kong, Paris, Italy, and many other places. In the past twenty years, her inspiring energy and creativity have resulted in hundreds of commissioned paintings and luxury art pieces for high-profile clients, including CHANEL and other high fashion brands.
As she turns forty years old this year, Elsa moves on to a new chapter and dedicates herself to artworks that reveal her inner voice. Her inaugural solo exhibition Reminiscence invites us to embark on a journey through her universe. As the exhibition title demonstrates, Elsa’s painting brings the viewers to her childhood in a poetic way.
Elsa Jeandedieu, Denim from Nîmes, 2023, Courtesy of Boogie Woogie Photography
Elsa的繪畫植根於個人經歷，探索情感、家庭和記憶的主題。畫作中的顏色，還有石膏、銅箔和油漆等不同材料，均象徵著她童年時的不同回憶片段。在《Denim from Nîmes》這幅作品中，Nîmes正是她成長的南部城市尼姆，傳統上用來製做牛仔褲的丹寧布Denim，就是來自尼姆 (De Nîmes)，在作品則以一塊塊的藍色色塊呈現。
Elsa Jeandedieu, The Garden of the Fountain, 2023, Courtesy of Boogie Woogie Photography
Elsa’s work is deeply rooted in personal experience, exploring love, family, and memory themes. Her extensive application of materials like plaster, copper leaf, and marine varnish reminds her of something about childhood. As Elsa recalls, each piece brings her back to a specific place she had been in her teenage years. For her, childhood is blurry yet happy. Whenever she looks back, it is always shiny and colorful. She spent a lot of time on her grandparents’ boats – the use of gold and rusty material in her paintings may be reminiscent of these memories. Elsa’s work also delves into the realm of abstraction, as she skillfully manipulates color, light, and texture to create a palpable sense of depth and tension.
Elsa’s paintings are a testament to her excellent command of plastic art techniques at the service of a profound understanding of human emotion. With great pleasure and pride, we invite you to explore and appreciate the evocative memories captured by this remarkable French painter with what constitutes her first solo exhibition.
Reminiscence
Date: 29 June – 22 July 2023
Time: 2-7pm (Wednesday – Saturday)
By Appointment, Info@bewephoto.com
Address: The Loft, 8/F, E. Wah Factory Building,
56-60 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Wong Chuk Hang.
Elsa Jeandedieu by Felix Wong, Courtesy of Boogie Woogie Photography
Elsa Jeandedieu (b. France,1983)
Elsa spent five formative years developing her craft at the prestigious Atelier Lucien Tourtoulou in Paris, where she specialised in the creation of unique textures and interior decorating for high-end clients. Looking for a new challenge, Elsa moved to Hong Kong in 2008 after being hired as Artistic Director for a local art company, where she brought her unique vision to clients in Asia. In 2015, Elsa launched her eponymous atelier, Elsa Jeandedieu Studio, where she now heads up a team of dedicated artists.
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.
