VOICE HONG KONG 2019

Michiko Kiseki
VOICE HONG KONG 2019

Photographs: Michiko Kiseki

Text: Michiko Kiseki

Publisher: East Press

176 pages

Year: 2022

Price: 58 €

Comments: Illustatred softcover with obi and folded poste. Swiss Binding, 23 x 18 cm, b&w photographs.

In 2019, I stayed in Hong Kong for a month, in an apartment in a building of 8 floors with no elevator. 2 years later I visited the same apartment, when a person on the roof of the building asked me, "What does Hong Kong mean to you?" and I couldn' t find a word for a moment. I recalled the days in Hong Kong, and tears filled my eyes. Then I realized, "Hong Kong saved me when I was suffering. This is the place that changed me inside. And I learned a lot here". ...

Years ago, I came to Hong Kong when I was struggling with my way of life. She was where I grew up in the childhood. When I arrived Hong Kong for the first time in these 25 years, She was so full of power to live, and this smashed every single foggy in my head. Where does the strong power comes from? What do the people think in there daily lives? I was so fascinated to learn the answer, so I decided to stay in Hong Kong for 8 months since July 2019, to take photos of people living there.

Then what I saw was a series of democratic protests. Police officers beat young people right before me, while lots of people got arrested randomly. The young people resisted desperately and their action became intensified. 'The whole town being dyed in white by tear gas, and rubber bullets fly around the city. That was my first time experiencing scenes like this and I was deeply shocked.

Excerpt of the text by Michiko Kiseki