April 30, 2019
Shortly after discovering the photographs of Fan Ho at a California photography fair in 2006, we presented his first New York one-person show. Born in Shanghai in 1931, his family later migrated to Hong Kong, where he began to experiment with photography. By the mid-1960's, he had won over 250 international competitions and awards, as well as establishing himself as a leading independent filmmaker. In 1979 he emigrated to California with his family, where he lived until his passing in 2016.
Taken in the evening in Hong Kong's Aberdeen Harbor, this image is filled with the sounds, smells, and smokey atmosphere of that busy port. Whether by the sea or in the bustling city's alleyways, the best of Fan Ho's work feels as much a frame from a film as it does a still photograph.
This 12 x 19 inch exhibition print has numerous exhibition stamps and labels on the reverse, including the 1963 XXVII SALON ANUAL INTERNACIONAL DE ARTE FOTOGRAPHICO at the Foto Club Argentino; and the National Photographic Art Society of Ceylon's first INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION in 1965. Like its maker, it enjoyed a global journey.