MC CHAN

MC CHAN  (b. 1980 in Hong Kong), uses photography as a medium for investigating the relationship between people, the man-altered landscape and photographic language. He was awarded a fellowship to complete his Master’s degree in Arts at the University of the Arts London (London College of Communication, 2016) and holds a BA from RMIT University, with a concentration in photography (2012). He came to international attention with his “elite” series, which he presented at the Pingyao International Photography Festival and Donggang International Photo Festival in 2013 and 2019 respectively. MC developed the photography course for the Hong Kong Design Institute and is currently a part-time lecturer at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, The Open University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Design Institute. His photographic work has been exhibited in Hong Kong and internationally and has been shortlisted for other major awards, including WYNG Masters Award, Hasselblad Masters Award, and Donggang International Photo Festival. His works are in both private and museum collections.

MC Chan Artist’s Statement:
The fight for Hong Kong’s freedom has blossomed in the past year. Facing crackdown, the protest movement could do little to fight back, but they dug out bricks and set roadblocks – with whatever they could get their hands on. After the clashes, the many Lennon walls around Hong Kong have been painted over, though telltale signs remain as testament to the voices of dissent. On sidewalks, concrete has been used to fill the holes and cracks that spoke to the determination of our freedom fighters, whose sacrifices we will not soon forget. In “Gaze” I have created portraits of young protestors, and then printed these portraits on aluminum foil sheets coated in silver. I then went out into the streets and used these sheets to take rubbings from surfaces and sidewalks bearing both marks of the protests and their attempted erasure by the government. This series of works crystalises the spirit and stories of our youthful protestors. Through capturing the indelible marks of their “gazes” upon our home city, it is a record of a resistance in the name of ideals, of hope and of love.