Handover 20th

“Handover 20th”

Vincent Yu’s “Handover 20th” photography exhibition combines two documentary portfolios, “HKG” (1992-1997) and “Hong Kong Paradox” (2017).  The body of works on display – crystalised in the last 25 years – is testament to Hong Kong’s change of sovereignty from a British colony to Chinese rule.  In 2017, the Hong Kong Special Administration Region (HKSAR) marked the 20th anniversary of the return of sovereignty to mainland China.  The assurance of a democratic civil participation signed between United Kingdom and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has proven to be a failed promise.  Hong Kong witnessed a “reluctant” process of decolonisation at the expense of increasing influence from the Reds.

The black-and-white “HKG” captures the social, political and psychological commotions of Hong Kong people before 1997, and is a direct contrast with Yu’s recent colour works.  “Hong Kong Paradox” utilised the tilted lens to manœuvre a hyper-realistic scenario of the above-mentioned dystopic condition, linking both the historical and psychological trajectories of our time or space.  Each diptych harbours a pair of displaced urban spaces and provides a binocular vision, a parallel universe combining the disappearing past (blurred) with the miniaturised present (selectively focused).  This paradoxical situation is anchored with the ubiquitous presence of reddish PRC national flags, which represent an “absolute iconism” of authoritarian rule.

Apart from photographic prints, this exhibition extends beyond the frame to the realm of screen-based interfaces and experiments with video installations.  The cathode ray tubes and flat televisions are arranged to anchor the artist’s luminous images from contrasting time passages – Hong Kong before and after 1997. Armed with looped photographs and subtle background audio, this installation aims to bring to life the gallery space and unfold the portfolio’s potential into a three-dimensional viewing experience.  These allegorical double visions of the past and present cause our emotions to oscillate between hope and despair; memorial and amnesia.  “‘Handover 20th” generates an innovative way of perceiving our present realities and stimulates our interpretation of this “Borrowed Place, Borrowed Time”.  Vincent Yu’s personalised social documentary photo series with associated video installations provide an embodied spectatorship and deliver a critical gaze on Hong Kong’s socio-political transition from 1995 to 2017.

20 Oct to 2 Nov 2017

Mon to Fri 1000 to 2030; Sat 1130-2030

Anita Chan Lai-ling Gallery, The Fringe Club

2 Lower Albert Road, Central, Hong Kong

Enquiry: +852 2521 7251 | ice@hkfringeclub.com |

*Closed on Sundays & Public Holidays.