First Photographs of Hong Kong
VIEW EVENT DETAILSGuided Tour by Dr. Edwin Lai, photographic historian and co-curator of exhibition
Curated by Dr. Edwin Lai and Dr. R??gine Thieriez, First Photographs of Hong Kong showcases images of the territory between 1858 and 1875. Photographs from this period significantly influenced subsequent visual representations of Hong Kong both with respect to subject and style. Photographic historian Edwin Lai will discuss how photographs from this period contributed to Hong Kong's popular global image but at the same time did not always portray a complete picture of the diversity of life in the city. He will also explore how the art of photography has evolved in last 150 years with the emergence of digital photography and how this has influenced creative possibilities and even our thinking process.
Since 1992, Lai has curated numerous exhibitions and published articles and books on Hong Kong's visual culture, including the Asia Society Gallery publication Picturing Hong Kong: Photography 1855- 1910. Lai is currently a senior lecturer at the Hong Kong Art School and his photographic works have been exhibited in England, Japan, and Hong Kong. This exhibition is a coordinated global effort with participation from the Biblioth?Nque Nationale de France, Mus??e d'Histoire Naturelle de Lille, the Royal Asiatic Society, and the Peabody Essex Museum.