‘Hong Kong in the 1960s’ photo exhibition: young expat’s images of street scenes, ‘ordinary stuff’ capture glimpses of era gone by
- Art director Redge Solley came to city in September 1969 after applying for a job on a whim. He left but returned again in 1974 and remained for two decades working for government
- Exhibition at EastPro Gallery in Causeway Bay gallery presents pictures not shown in public before
Two hours after Redge Solley arrived in Hong Kong in September 1969, he sipped his first San Miguel beer at the Cricket Club and stared in wonder at the misty mountains in the distance.
It was a far cry from London, where the 20-something worked as an art director for American advertising agency J. Walter Thompson before applying on a whim for a job in Hong Kong, despite not knowing a thing about the British colony.
His early impressions of the city are captured in a new exhibition of photographs, graphic illustrations and drawings, called “Hong Kong in the 1960s” at EastPro Gallery in Causeway Bay.
Hong Kong in 1969 was rapidly changing, with its population swelling to close to 4 million. Struck first by the heat and crowds, Solley says what drew him most were its people.
He recalls being welcomed by local colleagues at Grants Advertising where he worked, and how they often invited him to yum cha, which is Cantonese for “drink tea”, but meant lunch in a group of 12 at a teahouse on Gloucester Road.
“I live in the past, not the present. We all are looking back at the good old days, but these were particularly good days and they come out more in my photographs,” Solley says.
He recalls paying HK$700 for a 400 sq ft flat on Wyndham Street, a five-minute walk to his office.
To soak up the local atmosphere, he spent weekends venturing around Hong Kong with his 35mm Pentax camera, capturing everything from American servicemen packing the bars of Wan Chai to the busy Central district and outlying islands.
On a trip to the eastern district of Chai Wan – where few Europeans ventured – he found himself surrounded by a large group of curious children who watched as he took photographs.
Hong Kong’s colonial buildings, such as the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation and the Hong Kong Club, reminded Solley of the City of London, but he found himself drawn most to photographing street scenes and people.
Locals would often ask why he bothered with “such ordinary stuff.”
“But all that ‘ordinary stuff’ then, becomes extraordinary stuff now, because if you’re living in Hong Kong ... things change gradually. You don’t notice it until you look back and see a photograph,” he says.
Solley stayed in Hong Kong for only four months, before returning to London and then moving to Australia.
But he returned in 1974 and stayed more than 20 years working for the Government Information Services department, where he designed posters for numerous campaigns.
He then moved back and forth between London and Hong Kong, brushing up his computer design and digital photography skills in London, working as a freelance designer in Hong Kong and exhibiting his works in London, before finally settling in Hong Kong with his wife Karen in 2016.
Josephine Lau Shuk-hing, who co-founded EastPro Gallery with her husband Alfred Ko in 2018 to support local photographers, stumbled upon Solley’s photographs by chance after a friend introduced her to his design work.
The couple were intrigued by his black and white photos from the 1960s. Ko says: “There are other photos showing that era but nothing like Redge’s, which show the everyday life of Hong Kong.”
The gallery went on to publish two books of Solley’s photographs from 1969. His works now on display have not been shown to the public and are photographs of Wan Chai and Central, with a focus on people.
The exhibition includes four graphic illustrations, which Solley drew on a computer. The posters stand out for their bright colours, but still conjure up a feeling of nostalgia.
There is a woman featured in three of the illustrations, who Solley says is inspired by 1960s Shanghainese cigarette advertisements which always showed a glamorous woman with cupid lips.
His illustrations also include old pawnshop signs and tenement buildings that no longer exist. One poster features a city icon that has remained unchanged for five decades: the Hong Kong tram.
“Everything else has changed and gone, which is sad really,” he says.
The exhibition at EastPro Gallery on 223 Gloucester Road runs until May 26.
