Photography Book Dialogue between "fukushima" and "Teleportation": Wong Kan Tai

Date: 10 May, 2018 (Thursday)

Time: 7pm

Venue: ACO Bookshop (14/F Foo Tak Building, 365-367 Henessey Road, Wan Chai)

Registration: https://goo.gl/A1YpZr

*The talk will be conducted in Cantonese

In February and March this year, Wong Kan Tai and Lai Lon Hin, photographers of two generations, independently published their photobooks, “fukushima” and “Teleportation”. Wong Kan Tai has a photojournalist background, while Lai Lon Hin is a photographer without formal art or photography training. The topics of their photobooks are not quite similar, yet their photos are both snapshots on the street from mundane life. When documenting Hong Kong and critical social events, Wong chooses to use light cameras like Holga or Polaroid as the medium, and the images tend to be abstract and emotional. On the other hand, Lai strolls in the city and shoots the people, objects and scenes which are unconventional using mobile phone as the medium since 2012. The subject becomes obscure through his composition, which lies on the boundary between real and fake, or usual and unusual.

Although Wong and Lai have a different background and are from different generations, they share commonalities in their photography works, meanwhile they appreciate the works of each other. Therefore, ACO invites them to have the first-ever dialogue and discuss about the thoughts behind their publication, as well as their path of photography and even have a deep conversation on their artistic observation and characteristics of the works. We cordially invite audiences to come and join in the conversation between them.

Biographies:

Wong Kan Tai

Wong Kan Tai was born on Lantau, Hong Kong in 1957. He joined the press in the late 1970s and started his long career as a photojournalist in Hong Kong. He studied photography in the Tokyo Institute of Polytechnics. His photographic collections published include ’89 Tiananmen, Hong Kong Walled City 2001-2007, Vajrayana and The Queen’s. Wong now lives in Hong Kong and Japan and works as photographer.

Lai Lon Hin

Lai Lon Hin, born in Hong Kong in 1982, has participated in several group exhibitions, including “Inside China [Journées Thématiques]”(Palais de Tokyo, Paris, 2015); “Hong Kong Photography Series 2: City Flâneur – Social Documentary Photography” (Hong Kong Heritage Museum, 2010) and Pingyao International Photography Festival (China, 2008). Lai is best known for his snapshot aesthetics: using his phone as camera, he practices a mode of seeing through framing and zooming in, resulting in flattened and pixelated images of transience and meaninglessness. His work is collected by Hong Kong Heritage Museum. Lai currently lives and works in Hong Kong.

*During April to May, Foo Tak Building hosts the Foo Tak Art X ACO Exhibition. Besides the ACO programme, artists in Foo Tak Building are invited to open their studios. For details of the programme, please visit ACO Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/356551704840458