In the spring of 1997, Araki visited Hong Kong, a city facing drastic socio-political changes due to its imminent handover from England to China. Wandering around the city, Araki photographed over 5000 cuts throughout his stay.

As Araki himself said, “I am so excited to be here. I should go out more often to shoot outside Tokyo, as I am always shooting within Tokyo. Once you become too familiar with a place you lose a sense of tension, so I should tackle and fight against the outside world with my photography”. Prior to this trip to Hong Kong, Araki had restrained himself from leaving his own city, seldom photographing foreign countries. The series became a turning point in his career and life: inspired by his experience in Hong Kong, Araki subsequently travelled to Vienna, Taipei, Seoul, Paris and London to shoot his very own “Journey Photography”. 

52 images from this defining Hong Kong series were carefully selected by amanasalto for this year’s exhibition at Sotheby’s S|2 Hong Kong Gallery. The images are presented in photographic prints for the first time and are printed in platinum and palladium, with an archival permanence of over 500 years. These precious photographs document historically significant moments of Hong Kong right before the handover. Vividly capturing the changing cityscapes, Araki’s lens recorded the tearing down of old structures as well as the everyday lives of citizens. Through his photographs, one feels the heat of the city’s beating pulse. Araki himself said, “You see, it feels like we can hear the voices of the people in Hong Kong from these photographs!”