Urban Drift
3/F, The Landmark, Central, until Sep 30, 9am to 9pm daily Inquiries: 2522 0405
Immediately after his graduation in summer 1997, Ben McMillan packed his things - a small suitcase for clothes and a large camera bag - and caught a flight to Hong Kong for the handover. A modern history graduate from Edinburgh University, the British photographer had always been interested in Asian history.
Yet even though documenting the city's change of sovereignty was exciting, McMillan felt a detachment from the people and the culture he was shooting. He returned to Britain but was lured back to this part of the world when, in late 2004, he was inspired by the 'epic transformation' of Beijing.
Presented by Asia Fine Art gallery, Urban Drift is an exhibition that combines the photographer's affinity for capturing architecture and landscape with his interest in the relatively unknown people who were responsible for much of the growth the mainland has seen in the past decade.
Although McMillan has received many accolades for his architectural photography, it is his relationship with the workers and people of Beijing that adds tangibility to his body of work, including Testing the track (above).
McMillan was intrigued by the dilemma faced by the Chinese government: on the one hand it desperately wanted to maximise growth in the capital but, in so doing, pushed out much of the culture and the people who make China what it is, both figuratively and literally.
He sympathised with the selfless workers who often told him explicitly, 'I am working in these conditions for the benefit of China', and wanted to record their presence.
A former BBC journalist with editorial credits ranging from National Geographic to Vanity Fair, the Hong Kong-based McMillan in his solo show highlights the great irony and iniquity that the workers who toil over a building can, after its completion, be entirely forgotten.
An artist's talk will be held on Sep 9 at Asia Fine Art gallery from 5.30pm to 8.30pm
