The creator’s journey is always a difficult one with its twists and turns, but every creator has its own way of embarking on their unique path. Fan Ho, an internationally renowned photographer who captured Hong Kong in the 50’s and 60’s, devoted his life to evolving his craft. His own artistic journey started as early as 1945 and he was over time inspired by different schools and styles to eventually come to his own unique style.
This journey is documented in Fan Ho’s latest photo-book ‘Photography. My Passion. My Life.’ published by WE Press in 2021. A highlight of the book is the essay ‘My Quest’, in which he recollects his past works and reflects on his personal interpretations of aesthetics, poetics, philosophy and synergy. This journey will also be expressed in Fan Ho’s latest exhibition at Blue Lotus Gallery, inviting photography enthusiasts to explore and pursue the wonders of photography through Fan Ho’s lens.
As per the Fan Ho family, “Fan Ho will always have a special place in our hearts, and we feel closer to him through the lasting legacy of his work. We know we will continue to discover something refreshing every time we look at his unforgettable images, be they portrayals of a bygone era or of the endurance of the human spirit.”
About Fan Ho
Born in Shanghai in 1931, Fan Ho delved into photography at the early age of 14 when he started taking pictures with a Kodak Brownie camera. Later at the age of 18, his Father bought him a twin lens Rolleiflex camera with which he took all his awardwinning photographs. In 1949, Fan Ho’s parents moved to Hong
Kong where the young Fan Ho continued pursuing his passion for photography, in particularly for street photography. Dubbed the Cartier-Bresson of the East’, Fan Ho’s works earned him close to 300 local and international photography awards and titles. During 1958-1965, he was named as one of the top 10 photographers of the world, as compiled by the Photography Society of America. His talent was discovered also by the film industry where he started out as an actor before moving into directing until his retirement at age 65.
During his lifetime, Fan Ho taught photography and film-making at various universities worldwide. His works remain in private and public collections which, most notably, include that of M+ Museum (Hong Kong), Hong Kong Heritage Museum, Bibliothèque National de France, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Santa Barbara Museum of Art (USA) to name but a few.
About the book
‘Photography. My Passion. My Life’ ‧‧
Photos by Fan Ho
Essays by Fan Ho, Law Kar and Timmy Chen
Published by WE Press, Hong Kong
ISBN: 978-988-79341-0-3
Language: English and Chinese
Number of pages: 220 pp
Dimensions: W 264 mm x H 328 mm
Hard Cover Case Binding
HK$890
Link:
life-fan-ho
About the gallery
Blue Lotus Gallery, established in 2007 by Sarah Greene, is Hong Kong’s only photography gallery with a strong focus on exploring Hong Kong culture and identity. The gallery offers an exquisite selection of books, limited edition and vintage prints on old and new Hong Kong by respected master photographers and emerging contemporary artists. Blue Lotus represents Fan Ho and his estate exclusively worldwide. The gallery has also been instrumental to debuting artist’s careers such as Romain Jacquet-Lagrèze and Tugo Cheng, whom the gallery represents exclusively for the area of Hong Kong. The gallery is located in a quaint and quiet historical pocket on 28 Pound Lane, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong.
