Billy H.C. Kwok
Hong Kong: After The Handover
2016 - 2017
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is marking 20 years in 2017 since the territory was handed from Britain to China, after more than 150 years of British rule, as the handover on July 1, 1997, had been viewed with a mixture of uncertainty and hope. The territory's economy has seen benefits from the closer links to China since the handover although social and political tensions have been brewing over the last two decades. Hong Kongers have developed a stronger sense of identity, which is also been defined by anti-mainland sentiments, and that led to the Umbrella movement of late 2014.
Hong Kong, was promised “50 years of changelessness”—a transformative and unique indicator for its transition. Every day since the handover, society has been infiltrated with minute changes that cannot expressed, ranging from the development of hardware, to the rise and fall of ideologies. Instead of outlining history, this work aims to document transitions in different facets of society, from singing “God Save the Queen” to humming “people are slaves no more”; from being old migrants to becoming new Hongkongers; and from making money as property agents to gaining power as rural landlords.
“They can be indifferent. Grassroots make ends meet, while the opinions of the squires are valued by the officials. They may be beneficiaries or victims, but they do not realize it.”
Related:
In The Press:
PDN,
“Billy H.C. Kwok Captures His Changing Birthday On the Streets”
Based in Taiwan for the past five years, Kwok returns frequently to his birthplace to take photographs for his ongoing project “Hong Kong: After the Handover.” Kwok's images are not always political, instead, they explore the everyday of life in Hong Kong. In order to capture the vicissitude around him, Kwok must be nimble on his feet, ready at all times to snap photographs on the street.
In The Press:
Photography is Art,
issue #03
Photojournalist Billy H.C. Kwok's work Hong Kong: After the Handover is rather sharp in a sense that he documented scenes with the injection of his emotions. Nearly half of the photos were taken during the time of the 20th anniversary of the handover, featuring such scenes as people gathering at the sides of the harbour to watch fireworks and people eating western cuisine as flags of China and Hong Kong hang on the street outside. These photos reflect the close relationship between the two places and people from the two places. This series of photos also explores the transition of identity, social class, land and even means of livelihood for Hong Kong people since the handover.
Exhibition & Award:
TRANSITION,
WMA Masters & Film Exhibition,
@Central Library, Hong Kong
The exhibition TRANSITION showcases photographic works of the nine finalists of WMA Masters, including CHAN Suk On, Frankie CHAN Kwok Chung, Berton CHANG, GONG He, Billy H.C. KWOK, Joseph LEUNG Mong Sum, SHEK Ming Fai Phil, Ka-Man TSE, YIM Sui-fong. It also features moving image works of WMA Film by filmmakers, namely Steven DHOEDT, SEEAHOLE (Dave KONG, Kenji MA, Eason YUEN) and Stanley TAM, using crowdsourced footages from the “1 July 2017 – A Day in Transition” project.
Fundraising Sale:
Archival prints for the
W. Eugene Smith Grant fundraising
For the first time ever, the @eugenesmithfund is holding a flash print sale featuring the work of 57 incredible photographers. All net proceeds will go towards their grant cycle. Prints are in museum quality, archival inkjet on 11x14 paper. Please support this important organization by picking up a print today!