Sothebys : (English) Vision of Hong Kong from Two Generations

Hong Kong

For Immediate Release

Hong Kong | Vania Lam | [phone] | [e-mail]

Sotheby's S|2 Presents

(Top Left) Yau Leung, Cheongsams (Gloucester Road, 1961), executed in 1961, 46.6 x 34.1 cm | (Top Right) Lee Ka-sing, Heading to Happy Valley, executed in 2016, 25.4 x 50.8 cm | (Bottom Left) Lee Ka-sing, Walking from Two Directions, executed in 1963, 25.4 x 50.8cm | (Bottom Right) Yau Leung, Sailors on Shore Leave(Lockhart Road, Wanchai, 1966), executed in 1961, 14.2 x 21.7cm

HONG KONG PAST AND PRESENT, FROM TWO GENERATIONS OF PHOTOGRAPHERS

TO BE OFFERED FOR THE FIRST TIME:

PRIZED PHOTOGRAPHS PROCESSED AND SIGNED BY THE LATE ARTIST YAU LEUNG

Public Exhibition: 6 - 25 June, 2019

Sotheby's S|2 Hong Kong Gallery, 5/F, One Pacific Place, Admiralty

Image Download:

Dropbox:https://bit.ly/2VUgFuzOsR Baidu:https://pan.baidu.com/s/1UCR-4cLsD_YDImtmXcG6RA(PIN: bq6h)

Hong Kong, 22 May 2019 Sotheby's is delighted to present Vision of Hong Kong From Two Generations: Yau Leung | Lee Ka-sing,a cross-generationphotography selling exhibition centred on the theme of Hong Kong life by two accomplished documentary photographers: Yau Leung and Lee Ka-sing.On view from 6 - 25 June in Sotheby's Hong Kong Gallery, the exhibition features approximately 50 rare black-and-whitephotographs taken in the 1960s, printed and signed by the late Yau Leung, as well as 30 photographs of the Hong Kong cityscape, both in colour and monochrome, taken by Lee Ka-singin recent years.

Jonathan Wong, Gallery Director, comments, "In 2017, Sotheby's mounted a widely-acclaimed exhibition of works by influential Hong Kong photographer Fan Ho. This called to my mind another important figure: Yau Leung. Later, I had the opportunity to view Yau's autographed works through Mr. Lee Ka-sing, a photographer himself who has also represented Yau Leung. We then came up with the idea of holding this cross-generation exhibition. Hong Kong is very difficult to summarise in words and all the more beguiling for it. I hope this exhibition will allow viewers to witness different aspects of Hong Kong's past and present and to see this most familiar stranger in a new light."

Photographer Lee Ka-sing, states, "If documentary photography is an instrument of culture, then the photographer can be said to be its maker. While Yau's photographs of daily scenes document Hong Kong's colonial era, I was hoping to record -day-to-day life after the Handover. Although our works differ in subject matter, style and period, both Yau and I are motivated by our love of the city. I am thrilled to partner with Sotheby's for this exhibition, not only as a memento of my friendship with Yau, but also as a platform to share his legacy and the wonderful past of Hong Kong with fellow photography-lovers."

YAU LEUNG: ONE OF THE MOST PROMINENT DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHERS IN HONG KONG

Known as "Bresson of Hong Kong", Yau Leung's photographic works have often been compared to those by Henry Cartier-Bresson, one of the greatest photographers of the 20th century. Yau Leung began his career in the 1960s during the colonial era, and his photos documented a rapidly changing Hong Kong. For 30 years, Yau passionately captured the everyday lives of the city's people from behind the camera, focusing in particular on the natural interactions among children and the working class. Using simple yet profound compositions, Yau Leung documented life and living with authenticity, presenting the viewer with scenes from a bygone Hong Kong. His works are currently featured in the collections of the Hong Kong M+ and Hong Kong Heritage Museum.

"The socio-historical significance of documentary photography is unquestionable."

- Yau Leung

Yau Leung, Untitled	Yau Leung, Street Youths (Wan Chai, 1961)
executed in circa 1960-70s; printed by the artist in 1990s	executed in 1961; printed by the artist in 1990s
gelatin silver print, 23.8 x 30.9 cm	gelatin silver print, 14.1 x 22.2 cm

Yau Leung's realist photography not only captures the variety of life during a certain era, his photographic perspective and presentation of subjects fully express a keen awareness of the hidden emotions embedded in social gestures and behaviours, infusing the documentary scenes captured by his lens with painterly quality.

LEE KA-SING: A MODERN ALLEGORY FILLED WITH CONTEMPORARY SYMBOLS

Adept at combining photographs, Hong Kong contemporary artist and photographer Lee Ka-sing is drawn to dynamic perspectives and meanings generated through juxtaposition, uniting and superimposing images in geometric patterns. This selling exhibition presents both his monochrome and colour photograph series, all embodying the postmodern spirit, manifesting a fragmentary Hong Kong through pastiche and metaphor.

Lee Ka-sing, Negative Space

executed in 2017; printed by the artist in 2018

archival pigment print and inkjet on UltraSmooth Fine Art Paper, 25.4 x 50.8 cm

Lee founded the OP Print Program (OP Edition) in 1995, a project focusing on producing limited edition photographs. OP Edition introduced the concepts of photography collecting and its academic study to Hong Kong. In addition to assembling contemporary photographic works by Hong Kong artists, he also reorganised and represented works by photographers from the generation prior to his, including Yau Leung, Ngan Chun Tung, among others.

Lee Ka-sing, Hong Kong, Someday in 1997

Executed in 1997, gelatin silver print, 37 x 37 cm

About Yau Leung（1941 - 1997）

Yau's career as a photographer began in the 1960s and lasted for 30 years. He was employed as a photographer in Cathay Organisation (Hong Kong) in 1965 and later transferred to Shaw Brothers Studio to become a photographer for the film production company's monthly magazine Southern Screen. Yau participated in a wide range of activities in the field. He founded the monthly magazine Photography Life in 1973 and served as editor-in-chief for Photo Art since 1980. Yau held solo exhibitions at Hong Kong Arts Centre in 1994 and 1998, and published numerous photography catalogues including Lu Feng Stories (1992) and Growing Up in Hong Kong (1994). His works can be found in the collections of the Hong Kong M+ and Hong Kong Heritage Museum.

About Lee Ka-sing（1954-）

Lee Ka-sing engaged primarily in literary fiction and modern poetry writing in his early years. In 1978, Lee opened a photography studio specialising in commercial photography work. From the 1980s to 1990s, Lee wrote monthly columns for major photography magazines, including Photo Pictorial and Photographic Art. In 1995, he founded the OP Print Program (OP Edition), introducing the concepts of photography collecting to Hong Kong. Lee is also a member of the Hong Kong Institute of Professional Photographers, serving as its President from 1994 to 1996. In 1989 he was named the "Artist of the Year" by the Hong Kong Artists' Guild, and a decade later received the Fellowship for Artistic Development by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council.

Before moving to Toronto in 1997, Lee served as a consultant for the Photography Division of the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, and as a member in the Visual Arts Division of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council. His published books of photography include Forty Poems, Thirty-onePhotographs, and De ci de là des choses. Lee's photographic works are in the collection of public institutions including the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

NOTES TO EDITOR:

1. EXHIBITION DETAILS Date and Opening Hours

6 - 25 June 2019

Mon - Fri: 10am - 6pm

Sat: 11am - 5pm

Closed on Sundays and Public Holidays

1. FOR MORE NEWS FROM SOTHEBY'S

Venue

Sotheby's Hong Kong S|2 Gallery, 5/F, One Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Hong Kong

Enquiries: (852) 2822 5566

News & Video:	www.sothebys.com/en/news-video.html	Twitter:	www.twitter.com/sothebys
Instagram:	www.instagram.com/sothebys	Facebook:	www.facebook.com/sothebys
Snapchat ID:	sothebys	YouTube:	www.youtube.com/SothebysTV
Weibo:	www.weibo.com/sothebyshongkong	WeChat ID:	sothebyshongkong

Sotheby's has been uniting collectors with world-class works of art since 1744. Sotheby's became the first international auction house when it expanded from London to New York (1955), the first to conduct sales in Hong Kong (1973), India (1992) and France (2001), and the first international fine art auction house in China (2012). Today, Sotheby's presents auctions in 10 different salesrooms, including New York, London, Hong Kong and Paris, and Sotheby's BidNow program allows visitors to view all auctions live online and place bids from anywhere in the world. Sotheby's offers collectors the resources of Sotheby's Financial Services, the world's only full-service art financing company, as well as the collection advisory services of its subsidiary, Art Agency, Partners. Sotheby's presents private sale opportunities in more than 70 categories, including S|2, the gallery arm of Sotheby's Global Fine Art Division, and two retail businesses, Sotheby's Diamonds and Sotheby's Wine. Sotheby's has a global network of 80 offices in 40 countries and is the oldest company listed on the New York Stock Exchange (BID).