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.
FRENCH有法文的意思，攝影師Florence Levillain的作品，便透過幽默的影像帶出法語的魅力。法國人每天用上大量生動的法文比喻，卻很少人認真思考及探究這些詞語的由來， 例如「Avoir la tête dans les nuages」(have your head in the clouds) 的字面意思是腦袋在雲朵裡，這當然是誇張的說法，它其實是指心不在焉。攝影師為相片中的女士頭部加上一朵雲，生動地演活這個詞語，帶領觀眾探索法語比喻中的詩意和獨一無二的幽默感。
Bogdan Konopka出生於波蘭，1970年代中期開始攝影，1989年移居法國。他的作品曾在世界各地展出，包括法國龐比度中心。Bogdan Konopka極其注重照片質素，作品大多以8 x 10吋或4 x 5吋菲林的大片幅相機拍攝，然後親自在黑房裏以「接觸印相」(Contact Prints) 的方法製成銀鹽照片，這種方式直接將菲林與相紙進行接觸印製，在相紙上以1:1的比例呈現出菲林底片上的影像，展現出不同深淺的灰階及出色的光暗效果。
1994年，Florence Levillain開始她的獨立攝影師生涯，曾為《Le Monde》及《Paris Match》等報章雜誌拍攝社會問題的報道，最新作品《au pied de la lettre》將語帶雙關的法國詞語，變成一系列充滿超現實風格的影像，以提高人們對法語隱喻的抒情性和幽默感的認識。
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。
Jacques Henri Lartigue七歲時已拿起相機拍攝，長大後他成為畫家，反而攝影一直是業餘興趣，以輕鬆手法拍攝家人與朋友玩樂的動感畫面。作為金融大亨後代，他的生活過得富裕無憂，看他早期拍攝的照片，不是拍攝汽車、飛機，就是穿著時髦的女人，記錄上世紀初法國「Belle Époque」的美好年代。他原本在攝影圈一直默默無聞，直至1963年現代藝術博物館(MoMA)為他舉辦個展，當年《Life》雜誌也刊登過許多他的攝影作品，令這位大器晚成的攝影師一時間炙手可熱。
Raymond Cauchetier是法國新浪潮電影劇照攝影師，1951年，他隨法國空軍到胡志明市 (舊稱西貢) 服役，當時正值第一次印度支那戰爭，他拍攝空軍的行動以及戰役，為此還得到戴高樂將軍的褒獎。1954年戰爭結束後，他展開遊覽東南亞的旅程，在香港、澳門、越南、柬埔寨、老撾及日本等地拍攝當地的風土民情，在他的舊香港照片中，可見人來人往、掛滿招牌的街道。
Sabine Weiss, Chez Dior, Paris, 1958 Courtesy of Boogie Woogie Photography
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The Loft攜手呈獻攝影聯展《On The Road》，展期由2023年3月18日至4月29日。值此之際，我們很高興宣布與法國古董藝廊Kraemer Gallery合作，在畫廊展出十八世紀的傢俬及藝術品，古董裝飾品與現代攝影作品的碰撞與對比，也帶來截然不同的視覺經驗。
展覽名稱來自美國作家Jack Kerouac在1957年的同名小說《On The Road》，故事講述幾位年輕男女在穿州過省的旅途中，一邊狂歡、一邊尋找自我，在一次次的公路旅途中，探索生命與心靈的自由，正如作者在書中所說：「Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road.」。展覽展出十五位香港及國際攝影家的作品，包括Raymond Cauchetier、Takeshi Shikama及Roger Ballen等著名攝影師在旅途中拍攝的影像，攝影師們在旅途中的一次次快門聲中，捕捉眼前的事物，也探索內心世界。
Roger Ballen, Motorcyclists, Woodstock, 1969, Courtesy of Boogie Woogie Photography
Stephanie Cheng, From Here (Highway Stop), 2018, Courtesy of Boogie Woogie Photography
故事中的浪蕩世代從駕車前往美國西部，在攝影世界中，這裏也是很多攝影師的靈感，Richard Avedon在美國西部創作著名人像系列作品《In The American West》。在展覽作品中，法國攝影師Raymond Cauchetier在1950年代前往美國，拍攝一幅在三藩市金門大橋行駛的汽車；攝影師Stephanie Cheng在加州高速公路邊拍攝一幅摯友與汽車的照片，見證她們精采的美國公路之旅。
Raymond Cauchetier是法國新浪潮電影劇照攝影師，1951年，他隨法國空軍到胡志明市 (舊稱西貢) 服役，當時正值第一次印度支那戰爭，他拍攝空軍的行動以及戰役，為此還得到戴高樂將軍的褒獎。1954年戰爭結束後，他展開遊覽東南亞的旅程，在香港、澳門、越南、柬埔寨、老撾及日本等地拍攝當地的風土民情，在他的舊香港照片中，可見人來人往、掛滿招牌的街道。
Roger Ballen是二十一世紀最具影響力和最重要的攝影藝術家之一，攝影生涯跨越四十年，他的標誌性作品是在南非拍攝的怪誕風格人像，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。
Bogdan Konopka (波蘭，1953-2019)
Bogdan Konopka出生於波蘭，1970年代中期開始攝影，1989年移居法國。他的作品曾在世界各地展出，包括法國龐比度中心。Bogdan Konopka極其注重照片質素，作品大多以8 x 10吋或4 x 5吋菲林的大片幅相機拍攝，然後親自在黑房裏以「接觸印相」(Contact Prints) 的方法製成銀鹽照片，這種方式直接將菲林與相紙進行接觸印製，在相紙上以1:1的比例呈現出菲林底片上的影像，展現出不同深淺的灰階及出色的光暗效果。
Rensis Ho (香港，1964)
何耀燊，本地著名攝影師，在紐約攻讀金融，及後入讀 Fashion Institute of Technology主修攝影，回港後從事攝影工作超過二十五年。何氏擅長靜物和人像攝影，曾拍攝無數中外時尚名人紅星，包括Kate Moss、Isabella Rossellini、Chloe Sevigny、Marc Jacobs、Nigo、坂本龍一、梅艷芳、郭富城、舒淇等。
Stephen King (美國，1966)
Stephen King是一位屢獲殊榮的攝影師，以拍攝自然和城市景觀而為人所認識，作品受中國水墨和美國抽象表現主義繪畫所影響。作為一名周遊列國的世界旅行者，他過去幾年大部分時間都在香港度過，藉此探索香港的城市環境。
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。
Stephanie Cheng 是一位常駐紐約和北京的攝影師和電影製作人，畢業於紐約大學帝勢藝術學院的電影及電視專業，並獲得牛津大學碩士學位(Visual, Museum, and Material Anthropology)。她的作品審視女權主義和種族中的跨文化維度，同時繼續探索青年女性、性和權力的表現形式。她的視覺敘事不僅試圖反映我們生活的世界，而且還想像一個完全不同的世界。
Boogie Woogie Photography & PhotogStory are pleased to present “On The Road,” a group exhibition at the Loft in Wong Chuk Hang from 18th March to 29th April 2023.
On this occasion, we are pleased to announce the collaboration with Kraemer Gallery, with notably, on show and available for sale, 18th-century antiques and artwork that provide a contrasting yet harmonious visual backdrop to the more modern photographic prints on display.
The exhibition title comes from American writer Jack Kerouac’s novel “On The Road” published in 1957. As the narrator says in the book: “Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road.” The story depicts several youngsters setting out for road trips in the United States. They are immersed in a hedonistic atmosphere and pursue the freedom of life and soul while traveling across America.
Roger Ballen, Motorcyclists, Woodstock, 1969, Courtesy of Boogie Woogie Photography
The exhibition comprises fifteen Hong Kong and international photographers’ artworks about their journey, including Raymond Cauchetier and Roger Ballen’s road trip images. These pictures are reminiscent of Jack Kerouac’s novel, which demonstrates people’s lifestyles through various photographers’ perspectives. The photographers also explore their inner world through the journey and lens.
Sal Paradise, the main narrator in the book, is admired for his friend Dean Moriarty’s carefree attitude and sense of adventure. They often drive on the road and experience the joys and struggles encountered along the way. To a certain extent, a car is a tool leading them to their journey of self-exploration. The young men under Roger Ballen’s lens have similarities.
The famous Woodstock Music Festival remains a symbol of the counterculture movement of the 1960s. The 19-year-old college student Roger Ballen not only enjoyed music but also documented this spectacular festival on the spot. People were immersed in music with unrestrained joy. He captured a group of motorcyclists sitting on a car, and their dress and motorbikes reflected the young people’s pursuit of alternative and venturesome spirit in that era.
Stephanie Cheng, From Here (Highway Stop), 2018, Courtesy of Boogie Woogie Photography
The road trips advance the novel’s plot. It also inspired many photographers in their works, such as Richard Avedon’s portrait series “In The American West.” As the pictures displayed in the exhibition, Raymond Cauchetier captured cars driving on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Stephanie Cheng took an intimate portrait with an automobile parked on a California highway, which witnessed an incredible American road journey with her close friend.
In the spring of 2018, French photographer Isabelle Boccon-Gibod visited friends in Sun City, a residential community of 5,000 households with strict regulations, which triggered her anxiety. The instant film images of the sun and the road she took during the journey relieved her stress.
James Chung, Hong Kong, 1965, Courtesy of Boogie Woogie Photography
Jack Kerouac published his novel in 1957. By coincidence, photographer James Chung bought his first camera almost simultaneously. The cars in the street are noticeable in his images, which can be seen in Yau Leung’s pictures in the 1960s &1970s. Their photos demonstrate a different impression of old Hong Kong.
In addition, Polish photographer Bogdan Konopka captured a dilapidated car on the streets of Wrocław, which presents a sense of desolation. Under the lens of French photographers Willy Ronis and Sabine Weiss, the black and white photos show a vehicle parked on Paris street and Champs Elysees. The readers will be impressed by Jacques Henri Lartigue’s image in the 1910s, in which he captured a speeding race car in the Grand Prix of the Automobile Club of France. With all the pictures which are displayed, everyone has their own “On The Road” story.
On The Road
Date: 18 March – 29 April 2023(Closed on April 5-8)
Time: 2-7pm (Wednesday – Saturday)
Address: The Loft, 8/F, E. Wah Factory Building,
56-60 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Wong Chuk Hang.
Raymond Cauchetier, Golden Gate Bridge, 1954, Courtesy of 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.
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.
Known for dynamic photographs of car races and fashionable ladies, Lartigue made a decisive departure from the stiff formality that characterized early photography to capture joyful, carefree scenes of bourgeois leisure. Born into affluence, he documented the excitement of the final years of the Belle Epoque with a gimlet eye and photographed the wealthy vacationers on the French Riviera from the 1920s through the 1960s. Lartigue’s work was underappreciated until the Museum of Modern Art exhibited his photographs in 1963.
Willy Ronis (France, 1910-2009)
After selling his first photograph to the newspaper L’Humanité in 1935, Willy Ronis worked as a press photographer. Ronis always linked his personal experience to his work, which also developed and grew through contact with friends and family: portraits of Marie-Anne, his wife (including the famous Nu provençal), his son Vincent, his cats, his friends (Capa) and personalities he met (Sartre, Prévert, Brassaï, etc.) express the same poetics of the universal as the rest of his work.
Raymond Cauchetier was the most famous photographer of French New Wave cinema. His first photographs were taken in his thirties while serving in the French Air Force press corps in Indochina. Cauchetier traveled through Hong Kong in 1954 and stayed for one week. He left a bouquet of memories, a little yellowed but always authentic.
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. Sabine Weiss 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.
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.
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.
Yau Leung is one of Hong Kong’s most accomplished documentary photographers. During his lifetime, he worked for various magazines and publications. He was a photographer at Cathay Organisation (Hong Kong) from 1965 to 1970. In 1971, he worked for Shaw Brothers Studio’s film magazine Southern Screen. Yau Leung edited and published several books on his images, including Lu Feng Stories (1992), Growing Up in Hong Kong (1994), and City Vibrance: Hong Kong (1997).
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’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.
Born in Poland and living in Paris, Bogdan Konopka was a travel photographer. From Europe to China, Konopka has been taking photographs of cities he visits or lives. Whether the subjects are a fragment of nature or an interior space, Konopka’s images are immediately recognizable. Using large format or pinhole cameras, Konopka pays close attention to the quality of his photographs. His hand-made gelatin silver prints on chlorobromide paper are mostly contact prints, which have the same size as the original negative to achieve perfection. Konopka’s work is in many collections, such as Musée National d’Art Moderne and Centre Georges Pompidou.
Rensis Ho, a well-known Hong Kong photographer, studied finance in New York and then majored in photography at the Fashion Institute of Technology. After returning to Hong Kong in the 1990s, he has been engaged in photography for more than 25 years. Rensis is particularly noted for still life and portrait photography and has photographed numerous celebrities, including Kate Moss, Chloe Sevigny, Marc Jacobs, Sakamoto Ryuichi, Anita Mui, etc.
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.
Isabelle Boccon-Gibod (Paris, France, 1968)
Isabelle Boccon-Gibod was trained as Engineer in France (Ecole Centrale Paris) and the U.S. (Columbia University, NY). 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. She attended the Photography School of Brussels, Belgium. Her work is project-based, photography offering the means and the pretext to explore specific territories. She likes to employ ad-hoc techniques. She lives and works in Paris, France. Her work is collected by Centre Pompidou, Paris.
Risa Tsunegi (Japan, 1982)
Risa Tsunegi studied painting at Chelsea College of Art and Design, University of the Arts London, and completed an MFA at Glasgow School of Art in 2009. She creates sculptures and installations that combine seemingly unrelated images inspired by tools and actions in specific environments, such as farming, theatre, or on trains. By using objects such as golf clubs, hanging straps, and wardrobes, which encourage specific movements depending on how they are used, she aims to work gently on the audience’s body through her works.
Stephanie Cheng (b.1995, Virginia, U.S.A.)
Stephanie Cheng is a photographer and filmmaker based in New York and Beijing. Her work examines cross-cultural dimensions within feminism and race, as she continues to explore the evolving representation of female youth, sexuality, and power across many genres. Her visual narratives not only seek to reflect the world we live in but also to imagine an entirely different one. Stephanie received her B.F.A. in Film and Television from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She completed her Master’s in Visual, Museum, and Material Anthropology at the University of Oxford.
志鎌猛的作品被多個私人及公共藝術機構收藏，包括愛馬仕、法國國家圖書館 (Bibliothèque Nationale de France)、美國加州三藩市現代藝術博物館 (San Francisco Museum of Modern Art)、美國加州聖地牙哥攝影美術館 (Museum of Photographic Arts San Diego)、美國德州休士頓美術館 (Museum of Fine Arts, Houston)及美國俄勒岡州波特蘭美術館 (Portland Art Museum)等。
Boogie Woogie Photography & PhotogStory are pleased to present “Contemplations”, a solo exhibition by Takeshi Shikama at the Loft in Wong Chuk Hang from 10 December 2022 to 20 January 2023.
Born in Tokyo in 1948, Takeshi Shikama taught himself photography but never expected to be a photographer at the beginning. One day in early autumn 2001, as twilight set in, Shikama got lost in the mountain paths. Attracted by the darkness of the undergrowth, he found himself suddenly seized with a strong desire to take photographs. He set out to the same place again with a camera the following day, trying to capture the enigmatic feeling that animates him. This experience made him realize that he was not taking pictures of the woods out of his will but that the forest was inducing him to take its portraits. Since then, Shikama turned to photography after a lengthy career as a designer and never stopped photographing forests in Japan, the United States, and Europe.
Silent Respiration of Forests – Hokkaido: Komatsubara, Courtesy of Boogie Woogie Photography
Looking back, he feels that this all began with the decision to build a mountain lodge with his hands. To clear a plot of land for constructing a lodge inside a small forest, Shikama had to fell Japanese red pine trees some eighty years old. Although many years have elapsed since then, he still vividly remembers the feeling as he sat astride the felled-down trees, stripping them of their barks.
Owing to the invaluable experience of spending the next ten years building the cottage, his sensitivity towards nature came to be fully awakened. Lured by this mysterious sensation, Shikama started to travel all over Japan, visiting the depth of forests and continuing to take photographs.
Shikama always carries cameras when traveling. He is curious how the lens will capture the air in various places in different countries. Unlike the rapid snapping of pictures that most people experience, an image is photographed one at a time. The large format camera with 4×5 inches film makes him possible to record the details and gives him more time to contemplate while setting the camera. He also likes the square format. The Hasselblad camera with 6×6 cm film is more convenient and suitable for capturing fleeting moments.
Silent Respiration of Forests-Yosemite: Yosemite #23, Courtesy of Boogie Woogie Photography
The exhibition Contemplations comprises 32 of Shikama’s images captured worldwide, including the winter scenery in Japan, the magnificent Yosemite National Park in California, the Isle of Skye in Scotland, and urban forests in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and France.
Breathe in, breathe out, and listen for the silence. As the exhibition title depicts, Shikama’s images of the forest and trees guided us through a visual contemplation that unlocks a journey toward discovering the nature of silence. Shikama wrote:”the forest always stands there, motionless in total stillness. This is the image I have always had of the forest. It has dawned upon me that the forest is, in fact, the home of numerous silent and peaceful activities”.
It is not just the trees and plants matter, but also the process of making the image from start to finish that is part of the journey. Shikama attaches as much importance to the details of the image as to the photographic object. His photographs are made in Japan and are both stunning and tranquil. He uses the platinum/palladium technique on handmade Gampi paper, which is traditional Japanese paper made of Gampi tree bark, giving the prints a natural sepia tone.
Urban Forest-Paris: Parco des Ceaux #2, Courtesy of Boogie Woogie Photography
He applies the emulsion by hand to each sheet, exposes the negative by contact, then reveals the image and fixes it chemically. This painstaking process requires mastery and attention that reflects the artist’s reverence for his subjects. The Gampi paper brings a unique and precious quality to each print, and its tone gives softness to the photo and reinforces the “stillness” of the forest in the final image.
Fascinated by the forest enveloped in natural and simple air, we hope these images in this exhibition can lead the viewers into Takeshi Shikama’s photography and meditation world. May the peace be with us.
Contemplations
A Solo Exhibition by Takeshi Shikama
Date: 10th December 2022 – 20th January 2023 (Closed from 28th -31st December)
Time: 2-7pm (Wednesday – Saturday)
Address: The Loft, 8/F, E Wah Factory Building,
56-60 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Wong Chuk Hang.
The artist will be present on Saturday, 10 December, 2-7pm
Contemplation – Snow: Kitayokodake #6, Courtesy of Boogie Woogie Photography
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.
The works of Takeshi Shikama appear in numerous private and public collections, including the Bibliothèque Nationale de France (Paris, France), Hermès International (Paris, France), the Museet for Fotokunst Brandts (Odense, Denmark), the Museum of Photographic Arts San Diego (California, United States), the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (Texas, United States), the Santa Barbara Museum of Fine Art (California, United States), the Portland Art Museum (Oregon, USA) and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, (California, USA).
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.
Boogie Woogie Photography & PhotogStory are pleased to present « My Hong Kong, 我城 (Part II) », a group exhibition at the Loft in Wong Chuk Hang from 15 October to 27 November 2022.
Every city has its own story to tell. More stories are yet to be told in a vibrant and bustling city like Hong Kong. Following the success of the exhibition « My Hong Kong, 我城 », we are thrilled to present Part II, comprising twelve Hong Kong and international photographers’ artworks about the city.
Raymond Cauchetier, Hong Kong, 1954. Photo Courtesy of Boogie Woogie Photography
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. Raymond Cauchetier and James Chung‘s cityscapes from the 1950s and young talents’ impressions of Hong Kong are on display.
Even though Cauchetier and Chung lived in different worlds, they had similar paths. They were both self-taught photographers and recorded Hong Kong’s street scenes nearly seventy years ago. Their images reflect people’s simple life at that time. Later, in the 1960s, Cauchetier became a set photographer for the French New Wave and Chung for Hong Kong films. With the passing of Jean-Luc Godard in September of this year, Cauchetier’s photographs brought back vivid memories of the French New Wave director, which left a critical testimony of the golden era.
Hong Kong’s attraction is not only the city’s history and appearance but also the people who live here. For nearly two decades, photographer Chun Wai has photographed spectators dressed in amusing costumes during the Hong Kong Sevens. Meanwhile, Rensis Ho captured celebrities like Anita Mui and Kate Moss in Hong Kong, who are the Pop Culture Icons of our times.
The culture of Hong Kong is a mix of Chinese and Western influences. Such background inspired photographer Lean Lui’s artistic experimentations project “Disorder Sensing” (2022). She folded the light-sensitive paper into a pinhole camera, repeatedly threw it at the wall, or tossed it in a washing machine for exposure.
The process is done in complete darkness, relies on her experience and imagination, and finally obtains a series of abstract and gorgeous tints on paper. The process echoes Lui’s interests in Tao Te Ching, which says, “everything bears Yin and embraces Yang, and rushes into harmony.” After experiencing darkness and light, the photographic paper shows the beauty brought by the balance of Yin and Yang, which is reminiscent of the Taoist philosophy.
Hong Kong is a charismatic city. Whether in the movies or the reality, this place always attracted and fascinated visitors. The exhibition not only presents the city’s past and present but also embraces the city’s diversity through the photographers’ eyes. We hope the audience can recall their unique memories of the city with this exhibition.
My Hong Kong, 我城 (Part II)
Date: 15 October – 27 November 2022
Time: 2-7 pm (Friday – Sunday)
Address: The Loft, 8/F, E Wah Factory Building,
56-60 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Wong Chuk Hang.
Guided tour with Curator and Artists: Saturday 12 November, 2-7 pm
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 reports 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 French Air Force press corps in Indochina. Cauchetier traveled through Hong Kong in 1954 and stayed for one week. He left a bouquet of memories, a little yellowed but always authentic.
James Chung (Hong Kong, 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.
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 (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.
Rensis Ho (Hong Kong, 1964)
Rensis Ho, a well-known Hong Kong photographer, studied finance in New York and then majored in photography at the Fashion Institute of Technology. After returning to Hong Kong in the 1990s, he has been engaged in photography for more than 25 years. Rensis is particularly noted for still life and portrait photography and has photographed numerous celebrities, including Kate Moss, Chloe Sevigny, Marc Jacobs, Sakamoto Ryuichi, Anita Mui, etc.
Julian Cohen (United Kingdom, 1967)
Julian came to Hong Kong in 1998 for three months, fell in love with the city, and 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.
Jocelyn Ho (Hong Kong, 1973)
Jocelyn 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. 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.
Paul Bradshaw (United Kingdom, 1979)
Paul is a photographer, designer, and publisher based in Hong Kong since 2004. His photographs are either candid shots or spontaneous collaboration, which happens when his subject is suddenly confronted by the camera. The ambiguity of these fleeting moments, captured without exchanging words, encourages personal interpretation of the images.
Lean Lui (Hong Kong, 1999)
Lean Lui, a Hong Kong fine art and fashion photographer, graduated from Central Saint Martins (Philosophies & Photography MA). She has shot for the 2020 DIOR Global Campaign and VOGUE Magazine cover and was a guest of DIOR TALKS. Lean’s works were exhibited at the 2018 Beijing Three-shadow photography Award Exhibition, Hong Kong International Photo Festival, etc.
Dion Leung (Hong Kong, 1999)
Dion Leung is a Hong Kong-based visual artist who mainly works with photography and collage. She explores topics of rebellion and conflict with the 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.
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The Loft攜手呈獻攝影聯展《我城》(My Hong Kong, Part II)，展期由2022年10月15日至11月27日。
展覽名稱《我城》源自作家西西的同名著作，作者透過不同角色的故事及他們生活日常中的瑣碎細節，共同編織起一個關於香港城市的故事。每篇章節內容均可視為一段獨立的情節，閱讀整部小說就如一部觀看「香港版」的《清明上河圖》。《My Hong Kong》攝影聯展的理念，恰好與西西小說中多重視點的敘述手法不謀而合，展覽中的每位攝影師均有屬於自己的香港故事，他們眼中的香港也不盡相同，而這正體現這座城市的多元及迷人之處。
《我城》小說寫於1970年代，並以當時的香港為背景，作者在小說中坦言「目前的世界不好，但年輕人可以依理想來創造美麗的新世界。」這些對白放諸刻下的香港，其實也深有共鳴。《My Hong Kong》展覽以本地攝影師Jocelyn Ho一幅中環街市的一縷陽光為終結，既呼應老一輩攝影師在1950及1960年代在中環街市拍攝的照片，同時帶出對我城的一絲希望，這一縷陽光，也象徵著城市的生命力。
Raymond Cauchetier是法國新浪潮電影劇照攝影師，1951年，他隨法國空軍到胡志明市 (舊稱西貢) 服役，當時正值第一次印度支那戰爭，他拍攝空軍的行動以及戰役，為此還得到戴高樂將軍的褒獎。1954年戰爭結束後，他展開遊覽東南亞的旅程，在香港、澳門、越南、柬埔寨、老撾及日本等地拍攝當地的風土民情，在他的舊香港照片中，可見掛滿招牌的街道。
何耀燊，本地著名攝影師，在紐約攻讀金融，及後入讀Fashion Institute of Technology主修攝影，回港後從事攝影工作超過二十五年。何氏擅長靜物和人像攝影，曾拍攝無數中外時尚名人紅星，包括Kate Moss、Isabella Rossellini、Chloe Sevigny、Marc Jacobs、Nigo、坂本龍一、梅艷芳、郭富城、舒淇等。
