Chung-Wai, W: Hong Kong After Hong Kong

In May 2021, Wong Chung-Wai left Hong Kong with his family to begin a new life in the UK. During the six months prior to their departure he had wandered the city alone using his camera to create an imprint of those things he could not take with him. The photographs in Hong Kong After Hong Kong are Chung-Wai's visual lament for the city. They show the city's contradictions--the co-existence of urban infrastructure and nature, the ancient and contemporary, and both the artificial and natural light of the city swathed by sea. Although one of the most densely populated cities in the world, Chung-Wai's photographs are devoid of crowds and often show solitary figures against cinematic backdrops. His images were made roaming on foot and alert to overlooked details, taking the viewer on a walk with him through the city he previously called home. 'These photos were initially intended to record the present moment, but now they seem more to depict the past, and tell the future.'