Hong Kong photographer Gareth Brown has spent the past 19 years working on a personal project called “Bodies in Motion, Bodies at Rest” – using dance to showcase the city’s unique spots.
Hong Kong Dance Company dancer Debby Chuang at a derelict industrial building in Tsing Yi, reputedly a major paint factory operated by Swire in post-war Hong Kong. Photo: Gareth Brown.
For what he called a “very personal passion project,” he photographed ballerinas, contemporary and traditional dancers, a
Hong Kong photographer Gareth Brown has spent the past 19 years working on a personal project called “Bodies in Motion, Bodies at Rest” – using dance to showcase the city’s unique spots.
Hong Kong Dance Company dancer Debby Chuang at a derelict industrial building in Tsing Yi, reputedly a major paint factory operated by Swire in post-war Hong Kong. Photo: Gareth Brown.
For what he called a “very personal passion project,” he photographed ballerinas, contemporary and traditional dancers, as well as artistic swimmers and aerialists, against the backdrop of heritage buildings, natural landscapes, and modern infrastructure.
Dance artist Sudhee Liao at Pun Uk, a Meixian Hakka mansion in Yuen Long, dating back to 1934. The building was built by Hakka businessman Pun Kwan-min, who contributed financially to the 1911 Revolution to overthrow the Qing dynasty. In 1938, future Chinese premier Zhou Enlai stayed at Pun Uk. The mansion has a Grade II listing, and though seemingly sound, the structure has been left derelict for many years. Photo: Gareth Brown.
Aquatic performers Nora Cho, Grace Pang, Carmen Leung, Michelle Pang, and Chan Hoi-lam – members of the Hong Kong artistic swim team – at a river pool in Sheung Luk Stream, Sai Kung. The photo was taken before the deeper pools became popular with social media influencers and daredevil tombstoners. Photo: Gareth Brown.
Suku Limbu and Sajna Gurung, from the Hong Kong Nepalese Dance Group, at the Hindu Temple in Burma Lines, the former Queen’s Hill Army Camp in Fanling. The abandoned temple is a visually striking architectural gem. Designed as a place of worship for the Gurkhas of the British army, its hexagonal shape is reminiscent of a lotus blossom. Photo: Gareth Brown.
“Over the years, I’ve kept the works mostly to myself, dance and heritage friends,” said Brown, who is originally from the UK.
Having amassed a large collection, “I’m attempting to bring it to the attention of a wider audience.”
Contemporary dancer-choreographer Abby Chan at the Kam Tin Tree House, where the roots of a massive banyan tree have intertwined with the remains of an ancient study hall. It is located in Kam Tin, a historic traditional village famous for its many temples. Photo: Gareth Brown.Former Hong Kong Ballet star Irene Lo, now associate director of the Hong Kong Academy of Ballet, at the House of Convenience, or Fong Pin Yuen in Cantonese, on the outskirts of Tai O, Lantau Island. The facility was established by a Buddhist woman named Yip Sin-hoi in 1934 for seriously ill and dying patients to pass their final days. Photo: Gareth Brown.
The photographer said he usually found locations of interest – “culturally, historically, or they just look good” – and then chose dancers who best fitted the spot.
For example, at a river pool in Sheung Luk Stream, Sai Kung, he worked with members of the Hong Kong artistic swim team. At an abandoned Gurkha Hindu temple in Burma Lines, he collaborated with traditional dancers from the Nepalese community. An aerialist posed at a wall tree of the former Tung Chi College on Ship Street, which has since been demolished.
Prima ballerina Faye Leung, previously senior principal at Hong Kong Ballet, at Island Eastern Corridor, a prime example of the ambitious mass infrastructure projects that embody Hong Kong’s can-do spirit. The ballerina’s movements, full of power and grace, pay homage to this remarkable feat of modern engineering. Photo: Gareth Brown.
Joana Cambeses, an aerialist and acrobatic performer, hanging from a wall tree at the former Tung Chi College, on Ship Street in Wan Chai. The building has been redeveloped since the image was taken. Some of the most impressive wall trees could be found on Ship Street. Photo: Gareth Brown.
Contemporary dancer Sarah Xiao at the 33-metre historic granite edifice at Tai Tam Upper Reservoir Dam. Photo: Gareth Brown.
“If nothing else, the project is an interesting historical record of the [Hong Kong] dance industry, as well as locations that no longer exist or probably won’t exist for much longer,” Brown said.
The project gave him the chance to work with some of the city’s prominent dancers, such as Hong Kong Ballet principal dancer Yang Ruiqi, former Hong Kong Dance Company principal dancer Laura Pan, and dancer-choreographer Abby Chan.
Contemporary dancer-choreographer Flora Hon and actor-dancer Rick Cheung at Sunset Peak, Hong Kong’s third-highest peak, on Lantau Island. At the summit, there are 20 small concrete huts, constructed by missionaries in the 1920s. Legend has it that the huts served as a refuge from the sweltering heat and humidity of Hong Kong summers, as well as from the many spiritual distractions in the burgeoning city. Photo: Gareth Brown.Contemporary dancer Siobhan Dumigan braves cold temperatures at Cape D’Aguilar Battery, on the southernmost tip of Hong Kong Island. The World War II relic sits on a rocky outcrop in a hostile environment. Photo: Gareth Brown.
“I’ve been very lucky,” the photographer said of the collaborations.
At the heels of Brown’s solo exhibition at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club last year and another show at the Hong Kong Dance Awards ceremony last week, “Bodies in Motion, Bodies at Rest” is currently on display at The Corner Shop, a small gallery in Tsim Sha Tsui managed by the hotel Mondrian Hong Kong.
The exhibition will run until May 17.
Hong Kong Ballet principal dancer Yang Ruiqi at Plover Cove Reservoir in Tai Mei Tuk, the first freshwater coastal lake to be built in Hong Kong. The dam has a clean, futuristic aesthetic. Photo: Gareth Brown.
Laura Pan, former principal dancer at the Hong Kong Dance Company, at Shek Lo, an imposing abandoned colonial mansion in Fanling. The building – built in 1924 by Peter Tsui, founder of Wah Yan College – is a blend of Chinese and European architectural styles. Having been uninhabited since the 1980s, the Grade 1 historic structure has become a sanctuary for a large colony of bats. Photo: Gareth Brown.
Modern dancer-choreographer Lemon Doo and dance partner Tonia Wan at the Innovation Tower, designed by Zaha Hadid. The futuristic-looking building, located on the campus of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Hung Hom, has fluid curves with an ethereal, otherworldly appearance. Photo: Gareth Brown.
Exhibition: “Bodies in Motion, Bodies at Rest” – Photography by Gareth Brown.
Dates: April 20 – May 17, 2026.
Opening Hours: 11am to 11pm.
Venue: The Corner Shop by Mondrian, 11A-11D Hart Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui.
'KPop Demon Hunters' singers EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI took the stage at the 2026 KACF gala, which raised $3.5 million for Korean American communities nationwide.
'KPop Demon Hunters' singers EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI took the stage at the 2026 KACF gala, which raised $3.5 million for Korean American communities nationwide.
More than 201,000 people took part in Hong Kong’s annual Cinema Day on Saturday, enjoying discounted HK$30 tickets at theatres citywide.
A theatre on Cinema Day on April 25, 2026. Photo: Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, via Facebook.
The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau hailed the event as a “great success.”
In a Facebook post on Sunday, the bureau said that this year’s Cinema Day drew 201,519 moviegoers, with 1,694 screenings held across 52 cinemas in the city.
Saturday’s att
More than 201,000 people took part in Hong Kong’s annual Cinema Day on Saturday, enjoying discounted HK$30 tickets at theatres citywide.
A theatre on Cinema Day on April 25, 2026. Photo: Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, via Facebook.
The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau hailed the event as a “great success.”
In a Facebook post on Sunday, the bureau said that this year’s Cinema Day drew 201,519 moviegoers, with 1,694 screenings held across 52 cinemas in the city.
Saturday’s attendance was up around three per cent compared with last year, when around 195,000 people went to the cinema for discounted tickets.
Among the popular movies attracting cinemagoers on Saturday was Night King, a local comedy that came out last year but was re-released as a director’s cut this month.
Local media reported that some Shenzhen residents travelled to Hong Kong to watch films at discounted prices.
Fourth Cinema Day
Hong Kong held its fourth Cinema Day amid years of box office slumps and theatre closures.
This year’s Cinema Day saw a record high occupancy rate of 81 per cent, compared with 67 to 77 per cent in previous years.
An Emperor Cinemas outlet in Hong Kong. Photo: Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, via Facebook.
However, the total number of cinema seats has fallen from almost 43,000 at the end of 2020 to around 36,800 in July 2025.
Cinema Day was introduced in 2023 as part of the government’s “Happy Hong Kong” campaign to boost the city’s economy, as years-long Covid-19 measures dampened sectors from tourism to entertainment.
The 2023 event attracted over 221,400 filmgoers – the highest so far.
According to a government statement earlier this month, Cinema Day attracts over three times as many admissions as on a usual day. Cinema Days from 2023 to 2025 saw over 600,000 moviegoers purchase discounted movie tickets, the statement read.
Cinema Day is sponsored by the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau.
[Vanguard] "But, fortune's honey turned to gall...thus Fortune, with a slight turn of her will brings men [and nations] from joy to sorrow". Geoffrey Chaucer, 1342-1400, VBQ, VBQ p 64.
[Vanguard] "But, fortune's honey turned to gall...thus Fortune, with a slight turn of her will brings men [and nations] from joy to sorrow". Geoffrey Chaucer, 1342-1400, VBQ, VBQ p 64.
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