Hong Kong Inside Outside
Michael Wolf
Asia One
Co-published by Peperoni Books
English
Hardcover, Two books in a slipcase
352 pages
23.5 cm x 30.5 cm
2009
ISBN: 978988179987
During his more than 14 years in Hong Kong, German-born photographer Michael Wolf’s perspective on his adopted city has boiled down to an essence of density – the hemmed-in, closely built environment which shapes everything from its peoples’ lifestyles to their outlooks and even dreams. In Hong Kong Inside Outside, Wolf collects the works of his two previous collections – Architecture of Density and 100×100 – into a two-volume set focusing on the visual elements of one of the world’s most crowded cities.
For Architecture of Density, Wolf’s photographic technique removed any sky or horizon line from his depictions of Hong Kong buildings, flattening his subjects until they become relentless abstractions of urban expansion. It is a disorienting vantage point, which perhaps is the spatial experience of Hong Kong’s inhabitants. In 100×100 Wolf went deeper, taking portraits of public housing residents surrounded by all their belongings. He obtains the same vantage point for each picture forming a typology that allows the viewer to study how these individuals make their confined space their own.
About the Artist:
Michael Wolf was born in Munich in 1954 and was raised in the USA. He studied at the University of California in Berkeley and the University of Essen (Folkwang school) in Germany with Professor Otto Steinert. He has lived and worked as a photographer and author in China since 1994. His works have been shown in museums around the globe, with many being represented in important collections. To date, Wolf has published six books: China im Wandel (Frederking und Thaler, 2001), Sitting in China (Steidl, 2002), Chinese Propaganda Posters from the Collection of Michael Wolf (Taschen, 2003), Hong Kong front door/back door (Thames and Hudson, 2005; Steidl, 2006), The Transparent City (Aperture, 2008) and the two-volume set Hong Kong Inside Outside (Asia One Books and Peperoni Books, 2009).
Artist Website
About the Publishers:
Asia One is a fine art publishing house established in 2007. It is based in Hong Kong.
Peperoni Books is a Berlin based publisher, specialising in photobooks.
Website Link
Book Materials and Specifications:
Two hardcover books in a translucent hard plastic case. All plates are 11″ x 7.5″ in the “Hong Kong Inside” book. Plate sizes range from 6.5″ x 8.75″ to 11.25″ x 8.75″ in the “Hong Kong Outside” book. Both are stitched perfect bindings with glued down end papers.