A State of Lingering

P H O T O G R A P H Y

In the wake of the 2019 political unrest, Hong Kong saw a substantial surge in emigration, with more than 500,000 residents estimated to have departed. For those of us who remained in the city, we witnessed wave after wave of farewells. It was hard not to feel abandoned. The city turned blue and cold, like the desolation after a party.

The shoot was rather simple. On four different nights, I took each member of the boy group C AllStar (On Chan, Chiu Fung, SoulJase and DJ King) for a midnight walk. We shared our thoughts, strolled around the quiet city and talked about people and things around us. The final photos were taken of their ex-producer and ex-artist manager several days before they left Hong Kong. The coincidence fits my intention to record those who have left and embrace those who stay.

We were stranded in different lifts with the operators gone. Balconies, platforms, stations, ferry piers. Were they leaving? Were they unwilling to? Or could not bear to part with those leaving? We wandered around like ghosts, taking the last shots as we witnessed the changing cityscape.

Exhibition View

Year

2023

Publication
Where The Firework Dies 煙花之地, 2023, HK
[ISBN:978-988-76921-0-2]

Position

Photographer

Art Director