Forgotten photographer's curious quest to shoot native Americans showcased in Hong Kong gallery
Images of native Americans in costumes they had long abandoned are beautifully shot reminders of a lost time when man lived in harmony with nature, says gallerist Stephen Cheng
The Empty Gallery’s upcoming exhibition will showcase its owner’s personal collection of historic photographs featuring native Americans from about a century ago - unusual subject matter for an unconventional display space.
For “Edward S. Curtis: The man who sleeps on his breath”, Stephen Cheng will leave the gallery barely lit to encourage visitors to concentrate on the photographer’s otherworldly images.
Curtis (1868-1952) was an American photographer who spent 20 years travelling across the country with a large-format camera to photograph members of 80 native American tribes.
Despairing of the way modernisation was wiping out traditional ways of life, Curtis captured and presented – with a fair amount of artistic licence – an idealised version of native American life. The result of his one-man obsession was 20 volumes of prints published from 1907-1930 that were mailed to subscribers who included John Pierpont Morgan, the powerful financier.
Cheng managed to buy a full set recently from an American family who were among the original subscribers at the time. Surprisingly for a gallerist, Cheng says this is his first serious art purchase.