WHAT
The exhibition is a thematic exploration of post-war modern architecture based on Walter Koditek’s book of the same title at the gallery. By combining photography and research, Koditek creates a comprehensive overview of architectural design during that transformative period. In the post-war decades, Hong Kong architects embraced modern principles when forced to face the problems of housing shortage, mass construction and limited budgets. Although economic efficiencies often prevailed over design, buildings were rooted in their time and place, reflecting the local climate, social values, materials, technique and use in an often unique and pragmatic fashion. In its own way, the exhibition is a documentary of the history of Hong Kong architecture.

WHY
As Koditek documents and captures building facades for this project, he invites audiences to notice the different designs stemming from the international Modern Movement and how it has been adapted to suit local needs and conditions. Each facade, uniformly framed and composed, draws our attention to architectural details that are often overlooked, as well as the variety of appropriations. The arrangement of facades ranges from famous landmarks to mundane structures, and presents an underlying relationship between these built forms. Koditek’s project not only serves as a visually compelling record of modernist architectural heritage found in the city, but also as a reminder and call to buildings that are on the verge of disappearance or redevelopment.