Hong Kong’s underground network has a daily ridership of 4 million. Yet, to most of us this journey is nothing more than a ride to work, a means to get from A to B, a place packed with people scurrying about mindlessly. The stations are but sites of countless fleeting moments that hardly leave a mark on our minds. In this fast-paced commute, do any of us pay attention to the colour of the station walls, the number of exits around us, or the reflected light down a corridor especially when our destination lies elsewhere and time is ticking?
Christopher Button, however, sees the extraordinary in the trivial. When everyone else calls it a day, when the stations are deprived of its regular flock, he immerses himself in the vastness of Hong Kong’s confined underground channels, and embraces a rare moment of solitude in what is usually hectic. With his Mamiya 7 medium format camera, he transforms the space into a dystopian dimension. Suddenly, we are offered a glimpse into the oddly-quiet side of one of the busiest locations in Hong Kong. One that offers an unusual peacefulness untainted by the hustle. One that is as soothing as it is disturbing. Everything seems familiar and strange at the same time: the endless corridors, the dazzling colours, the hazy mirror reflections…
Alas! We are alone, trapped in the labyrinth. We set off into a run, storm down the escalator, sprint around the corner, shoot through the tunnel, desperate for an escape only to find more endlessness ahead. We are left with no choice but to reach a halt, inhale, and let the surroundings sink in. Our ears are deafened by piercing silence as we glance around: massive light boxes spewing advertisements and warnings glare back at us. How many stories hide behind these vibrant walls? What secrets do they hold? But more urgently, how do we get out of here?
Perhaps, this feeling of entrapment is one shared by many of us. This year, the world found itself entangled in more uncertainties than ever. Scenes of this confined and endless underground dimension created by Christoper would reflect how some of us are feeling trapped in a changed environment charged with new restrictions and rules. Slowly, we are learning to embrace uncertainties.
Despite this fast-paced digital era, Chris prefers a measured approach through analog photography. The excitement and anticipation that comes with waiting for his roll of film to deliver surprises, sometimes wonderful accidents, is unparalleled elsewhere. Deeply inspired by cinema, he opts for motion picture cinema film to shoot still images of underground stations. The result, is a cinematic universe that echoes Hiroshi Sugimoto’s way of freezing time and carries hints of Stanley Kubrick; one that offers solace and discomfort at the same time.
We invite you to join us into the labyrinth of unknown…but be careful, once you enter, there is no guarantee you will get out…
About the Artist:
Christopher Button is an artist and photographer, living and working in Hong Kong. His inspirations are drawn from the city and cinema, particularly the films of Lynch, Kubrick and Tarkovsky. His quiet yet cinematic images look to explore the inner life of his subjects, gently unraveling the confines which surround us all, exposing venerability in darkness and beauty.
His first solo exhibition Some Dream (2016, Ethos Gallery, HK) combined photographs of people in moments of contemplation and introspection with details and accents of the city in which they live. This combination of inward thought and outward, abstract reflection has a haunting, dream like quality. Using predominantly analogue cameras and 35mm film, Christopher’s images glisten with colour and light.
Christopher was also part of a group show at ‘HK:ID’ (Light Stage Gallery, HK) during Art Basel week. His work was shown alongside iconic Hong Kong street photographer Fan Ho and a number of international Artists. In 2017, he was commissioned by the British Council to take 5 photos to be presented for the Queens Birthday Celebrations at the Asia Society. Christoper Button is now exclusively represented by Blue Lotus Gallery.
Christopher Button : The Labyrinth
10 September – 10 October, 2021
Blue Lotus Gallery
G/F, 28 Pound Lane, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
Related events:
Saturday 11 September 2021, 11am: live artist talk with Christopher Button at the gallery (in collaboration with Central West)
