Greg Girard
HK:PM 1974-1989
- ArtistGreg Girard
Alexis Ross Browsing through a bookstore in Vancouver I came across a reprint of Mr. Girard's Hong Kong book. I came back to LA with it as if I had found some great secret. Apparently I was the last to know what everyone had been knowing. Still, I can't get enough of the lighting and textures of these locations. For many of these places I would like to roll over and die in them.
Capturing Hong Kong in Transition
HK:PM 1974-1989 is a remarkable visual archive documenting Hong Kong during a period of rapid change. The book, published by AsiaOne and introduced by filmmaker Ann Hui, collects photographs taken by Greg Girard across several visits from 1974 until he moved to the city in 1982. Unlike professional assignments, many of these images were captured as personal explorations, offering an unfiltered view of the city’s streets, markets, and neighborhoods. From bustling Central streets to intimate portraits of workers, students, and fashion enthusiasts, the photographs reveal a city in motion, filled with energy, ambition, and everyday life. Rare glimpses of the now-demolished Kowloon Walled City, neon-lit streets, and vibrant nightlife highlight Girard’s sensitivity to both the urban environment and the human stories that animated it, making the book both a personal memoir and a historical document.
HK:PM on the M+ Facade
In 2025, HK:PM reached new audiences through the M+ Facade, one of the largest LED displays in the world. This nightly projection, running from July to September, transforms Girard’s analogue photographs into a moving, cinematic sequence. Streets, nightclubs, and harbors come alive in continuous motion, connecting the city’s past to its present skyline. Airplanes soaring above Kai Tak Airport, crowds navigating Victoria Harbour, and fleeting moments of daily life unfold like a film, emphasizing the dynamic energy of Hong Kong.
By situating the images in their original context, the Facade project allows viewers to experience the city as Girard once did - through curiosity, observation, and a sense of discovery. The installation turns still photographs into living narratives, bridging personal memory and collective history in a visually striking format.
Reflecting on Memory and Culture
HK:PM is more than a historical record; it is a celebration of Hong Kong’s unique visual culture and its capacity to inspire art across generations. The project embodies M+’s mission to engage audiences through innovative moving image practices, making art accessible while fostering reflection on urban life and memory.
For Girard, the work is a rediscovery of his early photography, revisited decades later in a public and dynamic format. As museum curator Silke Schmickl notes, the images evoke cinematic drama and reveal the city’s layered stories, from intimate moments to broader social transformations. By connecting personal experiences with collective memory, HK:PM highlights the power of photography to document, interpret, and celebrate urban culture, offering audiences both in Hong Kong and internationally a compelling lens through which to understand the city’s past and its ongoing evolution.
