Chun Wai: Blank City – Hong Kong Photographers’ Series by Asiaone Publishing
The world beyond the frame is one filled with ambiguities. We capture things within confining edges, only to save them for enjoyment at the right moments. Within the contemporary cultural context, however, the art of photography captures a much bigger picture beyond such intentions.
As a fine representation of the metropolitan landscape, Hong Kong provides local artists with a multifaceted playground for explorations. The city has become the very embodiment of the contemporary Asian metropolis with the intersection of Chinese and Western cultures, the international financial hub, the prevailing trend of iconic brand consumption and the entwined networks of interpersonal connections, like a carousel shinning in front of us. Yet behind the illusions of materialism and desires, we contemplate a reality in which the city survives on the edge of extreme constraints. The over-expansion of real estate hegemony, polarization between the rich and the poor, and the uncertainty of life lead to the rise of anxiety on the spectrum of identity and political system. The city is in a state of restlessness.
Creative works of the current age tackle subjects beyond those of pleasurable experiences. Artists have never exerted stronger enthusiasm towards the creative awareness and re ections of practical issues, owing to Hong Kong’s complex political atmosphere and cultural agenda.
With the arrival of the big data era, a new age stretches across the concurrence of tradition-al and contemporary expressive methods, giving life to a new scene of artistic wealth and diversity.
This exhibition features selected works from the Hong Kong Photographers Series by Asia One Publishing, covering subjects that span over half a century. The 9 local Hong Kong exhibiting artists have demonstrated sophisticated levels of standard consciousness, offering diverse yet individualized styles, in addition to subtle yet exquisite image discourse, using their unique frames to explore the city, to interpret this very era.
