Abandoned statues of deities and demons seen in Hong Kong photo exhibition that reveals the magic of these effigies found across the city
- Dickie Fowler, aka Dickie Suzuki, travelled to temples and makeshift shrines all over Hong Kong to snap the statues
- An exhibition at the HKCACC Gallery shows more than 35 of his photos, some of which he has given additional spins besides his distinctive saturated colouring
Hidden away at the base of Waterfall Bay Park, in Pok Fu Lam on Hong Kong Island’s western shore, is a spectacle that can be described as, quite literally, otherworldly.
There, thousands of colourful statues of deities, abandoned by their owners, take their place on a rocky hill scattered with leaves and branches, culminating in a makeshift display that has been dubbed “a sky full of gods and Buddhas” by locals.
The effigies in this shrine of sorts are among those featured in a new exhibition by photographer Dickie Fowler – known by his artist name Dickie Suzuki, after his Japanese wife – who is showing more than 35 portraits of deities in “The Art of Celestials”.
On view until February 25 at the HKCACC Gallery in Po Hing Fong, Sheung Wan, the exhibition is a result of Fowler’s desire to discover and showcase little-known or abandoned pockets of Hong Kong.
The British photographer, who has lived in Hong Kong since 1989, is a video producer by trade, having produced and directed a number of cooking shows, action-adventure shows and commercial videos over the years.
