To commemorate the 60th anniversary of Asia Society, the Hong Kong Center is proud to present Picturing Asia: Double Take – The Photography of Brian Brake and Steve McCurry, the first exhibition in Hong Kong to feature the works of two most eminent master photographers – Brian Brake (1927 - 1988) and Steve McCurry (1950 - ). Asia Society was established by John D. Rockefeller III in 1956, a few years before New Zealand-born Brake became the only Western photographer allowed in the People’s Republic of China to document its 10th anniversary. His extensive body of work has inspired many spectators and next-generation journalists alike, including the internationally-acclaimed McCurry, who is best known for his iconic image of the Afghan refugee girl Sharbat Gula.

Picturing Asia: Double Take sheds light on Brake and McCurry’s common passion in capturing the many facets of Asia. In 1961, when an 11-year-old McCurry saw Brake’s celebrated photo essay of the Indian monsoon, a flame was kindled which eventually compelled him to document the same enigmatic climatic phenomenon twenty years later. Their monsoon photographs form a dialogue from which this exhibition starts. Showcasing over 90 works, the exhibition traces Brake and McCurry’s efforts in giving the West glimpses of the East – of China, Japan, India, and beyond. “Picturing” in the title proposes a double meaning – of taking a picture, and of imagining one.

Picturing Asia: Double Take is supported by the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Te Papa gratefully acknowledges the gift of the Brian Brake Collection by Wai-man Lau.

The exhibition is curated by Ian Wedde, a New Zealand curator and art critic who was the Head of Art and Visual Culture at Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, from 1994 to 2004. Ashley Nga-sai Wu and Kristy Kwan-yi Soo of Asia Society Hong Kong Center are the Assistant Curators.

為慶祝亞洲協會成立六十周年，亞洲協會香港中心將舉辦《影．亞洲》，首次於本港展出著名攝影大師布萊恩．布瑞克 (1927-1988) 及史蒂夫．麥凱瑞 (1950- ) 的作品。約翰洛克菲勒三世於1956年創辦亞洲協會，致力推動有關亞洲的跨文化交流。數年後布瑞克成為唯一獲准拍攝中華人民共和國成立十周年慶典的西方攝影記者。其作品觸動大眾、同業及後輩，當中包括了以一幀「阿富汗少女」蜚聲國際的麥凱瑞。

《影．亞洲》盡顯布瑞克及麥凱瑞對拍攝亞洲風貌的熱忱。1961年，布瑞克的「季風」系列攝影報導深深地打動了當年只有11歲的麥凱瑞。20年後，麥凱瑞更追隨著布瑞克的腳步，遠赴亞洲去記錄這個攝人的氣候現象。兩名攝影師的季風作品形成對話，為是次展覽掀開序幕。《影．亞洲》展出逾90幀作品，敘述了兩名攝影師為讓西方世界一睹亞洲風采而踏上的旅程。

《影．亞洲》 得到新西蘭國家博物館的鼎力支持；新西蘭國家博物館感激劉惠文先生捐贈布萊恩．布瑞克的收藏。

是次展覽由伊恩．韋德策展。伊恩・韋德是新西蘭策展人和藝術評論家，於1994年至2004年間出任新西蘭國家博物館藝術與視覺文化部主任。助理策展為亞洲協會香港中心胡雅茜及蘇君懿。