Exhibition by Hong Kong’s Press Photographers Association cancelled after host venue orders “emergency repairs”

Members of the Hong Kong Press Photographers Association dismantled their exhibit at 12:30am on Saturday at Hong Kong Baptist University, after the host venue cancelled it saying it had to conduct “emergency repairs”.

Prior to its opening ceremony on Saturday, HKPPA cancelled the show after showing it publicly for four days at the Koo Ming Kown Exhibition Gallery at HKBU.

Security staff outside the venue at the Communication and Visual Arts Building said the issue was related to an electrical voltage problem.

The exhibition, titled PRESENT – HKPPA 35th Anniversary Retrospective & Focus at the Frontline 2024 Exhibition, was set to feature historic photographs documenting key moments in Hong Kong since the late 1980s, showcasing the long-term commitment of local press photographers.

Apart from the retrospective, the association also displayed the award-winning entries of “Focus at the Frontline 2024,” showing important news images from the past year. Two talks were also announced by the association, featuring experienced journalists to share insight on visual narratives.

The exhibit included a photo of the former Apple Daily headquarters building, taken by Lam Chun-tung from Initium Media, which was the “Photo of the Year” exhibit.

A photo of Ronson Chan Long-sing, the former chairman of Hong Kong Journalists Association, taken by Leung Yin-to at the HKJA General Meeting on Jun 22, 2024, was also featured at the exhibition.

According to an online statement by HKPPA, the show had taken nine months to prepare, and the scale of the display meant that it was impossible to find an alternative venue at short notice. 

Initially, the exhibition was scheduled to open daily from Nov. 18 to Dec. 8. The association decided to cancel the event due to an unclear reopening date of the gallery.

HKPPA said the cancellation is a significant loss for the industry and apologised to visitors who planned to attend. While the exhibition cannot continue, the group added that photojournalists remain committed to documenting Hong Kong’s history and that selected materials from the show will be uploaded online later.

The School of Communication of HKBU told TYR in an email that the venue “must be temporarily closed and unavailable for use” due to “urgent repair work required at the venue.” 

TYR has filed an online enquiry to the university’s Estates Office for further information about the reasons for the event cancellation and the gallery’s maintenance condition.

In 2020, the same gallery was selected to host the World Press Photo Exhibition, which was set to include images of the 2019 Hong Kong protests. The university closed down the exhibition before its opening, citing concerns of violence on campus.