Recovery, Resilience, Resurgence | 復甦生息、逆中求存、重振旗鼓
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.
本展覽的攝影作品活現香港在上世紀中期連續多個年代的面貌，展現歷時30多年的蛻變：從1946至1947年間戰後復甦生息，到1950年代逆中求存，1960至1970年代則重振旗鼓令舉世矚目。這些香港照片由三位攝影師執鏡，按年序排列依次為Hedda Morrison、李福志及Brian Brake，各自有不同的生活背景和攝影目標。
誠如Hedda Morrison早期在中國及後期在東南亞拍攝的作品，她的香港相片盡顯對平民百姓的愛戴和尊重。這些貼近生活的照片不少獲選刊登於紐約出版的The Family of Man，這冊經典影集收錄的作品專誠向生活致敬。
Brian Brake的信念與Hedda Morrison不謀而合，然而Morrison的作品多為獨立相片，而Brake則藉着連環影像說故事，透過精心鋪排構思，運用精湛的攝影技巧演繹。他的敘事式攝影作品曾獲多份當代攝影雜誌刊載，包括著名的《生活國際》及《國家地理》雜誌。
李福志的人生面貌和攝影道路都與Morrison及Brake差別甚大。他不似二人出身富裕家庭，也從沒接受正式的攝影訓練，全憑堅毅意志與實力闖出新路，為訪港遊客拍照和售賣照片。
三位不同閱歷的攝影師，各自以其風格記錄了香港近數十年的歷煉，讓我們可以在是次由亞洲協會香港中心舉辦的相片展覽中細賞。
《復甦生息、逆中求存、重振旗鼓》由歷史遺珍攝影基金會創始人艾思滔策劃。
Hedda Morrison
In 1946, Hedda Morrison arrived in Hong Kong. During the following six months she photographed almost every aspect of the colony, forming a diverse record time capsule of its postwar recovery. Morrison’s enduring passion was to record the lives of ordinary people and her photos reflect a masterful eyes. Some of these images were included in the government’s 1946 Annual Report. Photographer of vanished lives, postwar sojourner in Hong Kong.
Hedda Morrison於1946年來到香港短居半年，其間用鏡頭記錄了香港生活的林林總總。她的攝影時間錦囊記錄了戰後香港復甦的點滴。Morrison畢生熱愛拍攝平民百姓的生活面貌，她的相片盡顯其精湛眼光。1946年的《政府年報》也收錄了她部份作品。這位戰後旅居香港的攝影師留住了昔日逝影。
Lee Fook Chee 李福志
Departing from Singapore as a seaman, Lee Fook Chee came ashore in Hong Kong in 1947. Lee absorbed the basics of photography at his cousin’s studio and became a journeyman photographer. During the 1950s he made his living on The Peak by taking and selling portraits. Later he mainly sold his Hong Kong photos, as seen in this exhibition. For him, self-respect and pleasure in doing useful work, his photography and photo selling, undoubtedly were life highlights.
以海員身份從新加坡出發，李福志於1947年抵達香港。初來埗到，李氏在表親的影樓學懂攝影的入門技巧，及後成為攝影師傅。1950年代李福志在山頂謀生，初年專門為遊客拍照及售賣相片，後期則主要擺賣香港風景照，例如是次展出的作品。對他來說，維護尊嚴、從事有用的工作自娛自樂、拍照和售賣相片都是畢生的亮點。
Brian Brake
Imbued during his teenage years by photography, Brian Brake arrived in Hong Kong at the end of 1957, after a six-month journey from London. Brake photographed widely here and gained international recognition in the golden era of photojournalism from the 1960s to 1970s. Commissioned by TIME-LIFE in the early 1970s, Brake recorded Hong Kong for its “The Great Cities” book series and captured the spirit of Hong Kong’s people with his perceptive and focused observations, abundant drive and talent.
在青年時代已醉心攝影，Brian Brake於1957年從倫敦出發周遊列國六個月，年底抵達香港。Brake以香港為基地，到處獵拍，並在1960至1970年代新聞攝影的黃金時代揚名國際。1970年代初他受時代生活出版社委聘拍攝The Great Cities系列香港篇的照片。憑着他的觸覺及敏銳眼光、無比衝勁和攝影天賦，他用鏡頭捕捉了港人的精神面貌。
Hedda Morrison
Sheung Wan Street
Hedda Morrison’s centrally positioned, symmetrical photo highlights how these Western District buildings were crammed together – a fact accentuated by the closely set washing poles and signs. Ordinary Chinese, despite severe housing overcrowding, had a great desire for cleanliness – as the hanging washing suggests.
Hedda Morrison這張作品構圖置中對稱，展示西環密麻麻的樓宇，衣裳竹緊挨着商舖招牌，擠迫的環境可見一斑。曬晾的衣服儼如萬國旗，由此可見華人百姓雖然只有蝸居容身，但卻很愛清潔。
Des Voeux Road Tram
In Des Voeux Road, just east of Ice House Street, pedestrians amble across without a care. The tram system had survived the war, and in the late 1940s it was rejuvenated. But Hong Kong’s vehicles had been severely looted by the Japanese. In late 1946, records show just 1,450 registered cars, 195 taxis and 1,152 trucks.
德輔道中雪廠街口以東處，行人氣定神閒過馬路，不用擔心來往車輛。電車系統沒有遭戰火摧毀，1940年代後期重新投入服務，但香港大部份車輛都被日軍掠去，根據1946年底的註冊記錄全港只有1,450部私家車、195部的士和1,152部貨車。
Cigarette Seller
Immediately after the war, a time of great need, street sellers like this woman had lives full of concern and uncertainty – as her wary, sharp-eyed expression perhaps suggests. The woman’s hair is secured with a bobby pin, a shawl does for the winter. Senior Service, Camel and Lucky Strike were popular cigarette brands.
二戰剛結束百廢待興，民生困苦，像相中在街頭擺賣的婦人，日子都過得憂心忡忡，前路難以預測。她銳利的眼神難掩戒心，頭髮隨便用髮夾盤起，身上只有一件披風抵擋寒風。Senior Service、駱駝及好彩是當時最暢銷的香煙品牌。
Lee Fook Chee 李福志
Tanka Women Getting Water
Tanka women collecting fresh water from a shore hydrant. Carrying water to junks and sampans was mostly done by women and children. Besides their clothing and wicker hats, the women are notable for their broad feet: the result of lives spent barefooted due to poverty, and for steadier footing on boats’ moving decks.
蜑家婦女在岸邊水龍頭輪候打水。水上人每日也要到岸上打水到帆船和舢舨使用，這份差事一般由婦女及小孩負責。婦女們除了身穿典型蜑家服飾和頭戴竹帽，腳部扁闊也是特徵，這是長年赤腳在船上刻苦生活所致，而且赤腳在甲板上行走步履較穩。
Star Ferry Smoke
The old Hong Kong-side Star Ferry Pier, facing the elegant Edwardian buildings that then lined Victoria Harbour. A pre-war Star Ferry is berthing or departing, its engines belching diesel smoke. In the middle distance the General Post Office offers – CABLES. To the right a new-fangled neon light announces – COCA COLA.
香港島的舊天星碼頭，對面的干諾道其時有一幢幢愛德華風格建築物沿維港而建。一艘戰前天星小輪正在泊岸或開行，柴油機器猛力發動，冒出一團濃煙。不遠處的紅磚中環郵政總局有CABLES廣告字樣，右面是新發明的霓虹燈，宣傳可口可樂。
Elegant Women on The Peak
Two elegantly dressed ladies pose on Victoria Peak. Central District lies far below. The photo must be from between late 1951 and early 1952 – since the Bank of China Building, opened in 1952, is nearing completion. The image is from Lee’s initial photographic period when he took portraits of tourists on The Peak.
兩名衣着優雅的女士在山頂拍照留念，山下是中環市區。相片必是1951年底或1952年初拍攝，因為在1952年開幕的中國銀行大廈當時已差不多落成。這是李福志早年主力在山頂為遊客拍人像照時期的作品。
Brian Brake
CNY Tangerines
The photo shows Chinese New Year – probably at the market in Reclamation Street, Mong Kok. Brake, as he did very well, has blended into the crowd. The tangerines – lucky gifts – are timeless. But the boy’s United States Navy sailor’s cap is likely from the 1960s or 1970s, when “USN” ships were often in port for “R and R”.
這張新春照片的拍攝地點相信是旺角新填地街的街市。Brake駕輕就熟地走進人群拍攝，融入港人的生活，寓意吉祥的年桔是長青的賀年佳品。小男孩的美國海軍水手帽應是1960或1970年代的產物，其時美國海軍艦隻經常訪港，讓軍人休憩娛樂。
Aberdeen Aerial View
For his TIME-LIFE book Brake would have had an ample budget – thus aerial shooting was viable. This bird’s-eye view, also in early morning light, looks over Aberdeen, Ap Lei Chau and their anchorage. Ap Lei Chau’s flattened hills, and Aberdeen’s reclamation and housing estates, indicate the rapid pace of change.
Brake為TIME-LIFE 攝影出書相信預算很充裕，所以可以高空拍攝。這張鳥瞰照片同樣在清早的晨光下取景，鏡頭望向香港仔、鴨脷洲和區內的漁港。鴨脷洲的山丘都被削平，香港仔則填海造地建造屋邨，轉眼間改頭換面。
Red Banquet
The characters on the chef’s hat tell us that this is the Jade Garden Restaurant, a well-known Cantonese establishment. The dress suggests the photo is from the 1970s. Brake was observant and very fast. Here, he has captured each diner’s expression perfectly – and, using a wide-angle lens, portrayed the entire group.
從廚師的帽子可知這是著名粵菜食肆翠園酒家，從人物的衣着看來，應是1970年代拍攝。Brake觀察力強且眼明手快，這張照片及時捕捉了食客的不同表情，然後透過廣角鏡將整個群組攝入框內。
Photographers in Dialogue Series
Watch full series here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNMC2j0t9C6vB6jZca27I0Tz8jd45zBtu
Four experienced Hong Kong photographers share their passion for photography, and share their artistic responses to the images of our Recovery, Resilience, Resurgence exhibition.
Interviewer: Joyce Ng, Head of Gallery & Exhibitions, Asia Society Hong Kong Center
Interviewee: SO Hing Keung, Photographer and Educator
Interviewer: Joyce Ng, Head of Gallery & Exhibitions, Asia Society Hong Kong Center
Interviewee: Tong Kityee, Photographer
Interviewer: Joyce Ng, Head of Gallery & Exhibitions, Asia Society Hong Kong Center
Interviewee: John Nye, Photographer
Interviewer: Joyce Ng, Head of Gallery & Exhibitions, Asia Society Hong Kong Center
Interviewee: Stanley Wong, Photographer
Time Travel via Our Exhibition - See You Online 2.0 Workshop
Apr 21, 2022
Online Workshop for children aged 3-6.
Special Thanks to
Remembering and Storytelling Workshop Exhibition
May 22 – June 5, 2022
In-person at Asia Society Hong Kong Center
Community photography workshop facilitated by instructor Bobby Lee.
Thank you to Hewlett-Packard for sponsoring the photo printing.
Participants listed alphabetically by surname:
Katia Bacon Franco Chan; Johnny Gin; Richard Gordon; Kokoro; Terence Ku; Bobby Lee; Agatha Leung; Terrence Leung; Myriam Lynch; CH Mak; Pauline; Kai Kong Wong; David Young
Contemporary Portrait: Natural Light & Artificial Light Photography Workshop
Aug 30, 2022
In-person at Asia Society Center
Photography workshop facilitated by Jeeyun Kim.
Embracing Resilience
Aug 12, 2022
Lippo Amphitheater
Performance art curated by: Joyce Ng
Performance art contributors: Elaine Wong, Amanda Lee
Taking place at Lippo Amphitheater and in collaboration with SHIFT Dance’s Director and Founder Kelsey Ang, this one-day dance event is a 'resilient'-themed response and homage to Hong Kong, a city that continuously perseveres through constant changes and upheavals. The four-person performance, with unique sound elements of the city, uses movement to capture memories and stories of both old and modern HK.
Venue
Chantal Miller Gallery
Asia Society Hong Kong Center
The Hong Kong Jockey Club Former Explosives Magazine
9 Justice Drive Admiralty, Hong Kong
Opening Hours
Tuesdays-Sundays: 11am-6pm
Last Thursday of the month: 11am-8pm
Closed on Mondays
Last admission 30 minutes before closing
Special Opening Hours
September
September 27: 11am - 4pm
September 29: 11am - 4pm
展覽場地
麥禮賢夫人藝術館
亞洲協會香港中心
香港賽馬會復修軍火庫
香港金鐘正義道9號
開放時間
星期二至星期日：上午11時至下午6時
每月最後一個星期四：上午11時至晚上8時
逢星期一休館
最後入場：閉館前30分鐘
特別開放時間
9月
9月27日: 上午11時 - 下午4時
9月29日: 上午11時 - 下午4時
Guided Tours 導賞團
We offer free regular guided tours in English and Cantonese to provide more visual insight into the works by Hedda Morrison, Lee Fook Chee and Brian Brake. The guided tours can accommodate max. 12 people per tour on a first-come, first-served basis.
中心定時提供免費廣東話與英語展覽導賞團，名額最多 12 人，先到先得。導賞團大約一小時，以提供更多關於三位攝影師 Hedda Morrison、李福志和 Brian Brake 作品背後的故事。
Saturdays 逢星期六
14:30 English 英語
15:30 Cantonese 廣東話
Sundays 逢星期日
14:30 English 英語
15:30 Cantonese 廣東話
Last Thursday of the Month 每月最後一個星期四
19:00 English 英語 / Cantonese 廣東話
Recovery, Resilience, Resurgence Exhibition Virtual Tour Introduction
Our Executive Director S. Alice Mong and exhibition curator Edward Stokes introduce our Recovery, Resilience, Resurgence exhibition that showcases Hong Kong's history over a span of three decades, 1940s-1970s, featuring photographs taken by Hedda Morrison, Lee Fook Chee, and Brian Brake.
Recovery, Resilience, Resurgence Exhibition Virtual Tour: Hedda Morrison, 1946-47
Our exhibition curator Edward Stokes highlights images by Hedda Morrison in our Recovery, Resilience, Resurgence exhibition. German-born Hedda Morrison’s 30 black-and-white photographs depict Hong Kong in 1946-1947, when she lived in the city for six months and photographed almost every aspect of the colony. She was a documentary photographer who created historically significant images of Beijing, Hong Kong and Sarawak in the 1930s-1960s. Her images of Hong Kong, like her prior work in China and later images of Southeast Asia, reflect her high regard for ordinary people.
Recovery, Resilience, Resurgence Exhibition Virtual Tour: Lee Fook Chee, 1950s
Singaporean photographer Lee Fook Chee arrived in Hong Kong in 1947, and photographed the city over the next decade, earning a simple living by selling his photos to tourists on The Peak. He initially took and sold portraits, and later mainly sold his Hong Kong photos. His images can be seen in our Recovery, Resilience, Resurgence exhibition, featuring 37 of his black-and-white photographs that highlight the changes Hong Kong experienced in the 1950s. Our exhibition curator Edward Stokes introduces some of his photographs in our Chantal Miller Gallery.
Recovery, Resilience, Resurgence Exhibition Virtual Tour: Brian Brake, 1960s-1970s
Our Recovery, Resilience, Resurgence exhibition includes 20 colored images that portray Hong Kong from the 1960s to 1970s by Brian Brake, New Zealand’s most successful international photographer. Prior to moving to the city, he travelled the world for prestigious photo agency Magnum. A master in photojournalism, his photos appeared regularly in iconic contemporary photo magazines, notably Life Magazine. Intrigued with Hong Kong, he was stationed in the city for over a decade, and recorded Hong Kong for TIME-LIFE's The Great Cities book series. Our exhibition curator Edward Stokes introduces Brian Brake's snapshots of Hong Kong's resurgence.
Plan Your Visit
9 Justice Drive, Admiralty, Hong Kong
亞洲協會香港中心 香港金鐘正義道九號
+852-2103-9511
