Recovery, Resilience, Resurgence: 30 Years of Hong Kong Photographs from the 1940s to the 1970s

Posted: May 3rd, 2022 | No Comments »

This exhibition’s photos show Hong Kong during consecutive periods, as it was seen around the middle of the last century. The images span some thirty years of great change: from the postwar recovery in 1946 – 1947, through the resilience of the 1950s, to the resurgence of the 1960s – 1970s. The photos were taken by three photographers. In the order of their Hong Kong work they were: Hedda Morrison, Lee Fook Chee and Brian Brake. Each had markedly different life backgrounds and photographic objectives.

Hedda Morrison’s Hong Kong photos, like her prior work in China and later images of Southeast Asia, reflected her high regard for ordinary people. Thus, in 1955 some of her photos were published in the classic, life celebrating New York photobook The Family of Man.

Brian Brake held similar values. But whereas Morrison photographed mostly separate images, Brake created highly crafted, pre-envisioned photo stories. His photo-led stories were widely published in many contemporary photo magazines, notably LIFE International and National Geographic. 

Lee Fook Chee, as a person and photographer, was far different to Morrison and Brake. Lacking their comfortable origins, and also their photographic training, he harnessed his personal resolve and the ability to take photos for selling to tourists who visited Hong Kong.

Yet all three, in their own way, recorded Hong Kong during its modern, crucible decades – thus passing on to our present times the photographic heritage seen in this Asia Society Hong Kong Center exhibition.

Recovery, Resilience, Resurgence is curated by Edward Stokes who founded The Photographic Heritage Foundation.

Till 06 June 2022

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