Samuel Lo

I create photographic work that explores the complications and intricacies of identity in order to create a comprehensive understanding of it for myself and others. As a mixed-race person from a familial lineage of immigrants of varying socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds, my derived interest in deconstructing my own identity has inspired me to explore the inherent mechanisms of identity itself.

I embrace photography as a tool of documentation, subversion, and distortion as essential properties in my images. Illusion- istic and poetic motifs in my work are inspired by the reflec- tion-laden photographs of Paul Sepuya and Lee Friedlander to the metaphysical and semiotic explorations of the Postim- pressionists and Cubists.

I often capture the implicit image, subsequently seeking out the most comprehensive image behind it. My photographs vary in their impact and structure, with some presenting more recognizable visual themes and references, while others are quieter and contemplative. Their juxtaposition to one another is expressed by varying sizes and placements in the exhibition space to suggest dynamic movement and gesture. Sculptural aspects are incorporated to include a tactile, physical reference to the ideas encoded within their respective images. A stray collection of toothpicks and a Star Ferry token are examples of these aspects, placed carefully on the edges of their photograph’s frames. Different colors, tones, and exposures in my images are utilized to form the visual tempo of the work invoked in the viewer. In The Things We Remem- ber color and subject ‘modules’ shift between lush greenery and forever-cloudy skies of Hong Kong’s hills to its dark and claustrophobic hallways and alleys and all the unseen places in-between. Mixed with intimate portraits of my father inter- acting with spaces from his past, this series recreates a journey through my father and I’s experiences with the city.

› Stories of my father’s life in Hong Kong passed down to me in my adolescence. › Cultural motifs and contemporary issues surrounding Hong Kong. › Lee Friedlander’s unconventional photography. › Paul Sepuya’s use of layered illusions in his photography › Myeongsoo Kim’s photographs paired with sculptural references.

My work in this series largely communicates through visual metaphors and allusions that suggest different ideas around the content. Modular sequences are juxtaposed to tell a story of my father and I’s journey through the myths, realities, and interspaces of Hong Kong.

I envision my art practice will focus on exploring mixed-race experiences. My aspirations are to pioneer a visual language that is uniquely mixed-race and create spaces to discuss and raise awareness for our experiences and issues.