April 1, 2013 at 3:25 pm

Depictions of Architectural Density in Hong Kong

by twistedsifter

 

Born in Munich and now living in Hong Kong, award-winning photographer Michael Wolf has focused his career on capturing life in mega cities. Many of his projects document the architecture and vernacular culture of metropolises. Wolf grew up in Canada, Europe and the United States, studying at UC Berkeley and at the Folkwang School with Otto Steinert. He moved to Hong Kong in 1994 where he worked for 8 years as contract photographer for Stern Magazine. Since 2001, Wolf has been focusing on his own projects, many of which have been published as books (to date he has published 13).

Wolf has won first prize in the World Press Photo competition on two occasions (2005 & 2010) and an honorable mention in 2011. In 2010, Wolf was shortlisted for the Prix Pictet photography prize.

In his series entitled, Architecture of Density, Wolf fashioned a distinctive style of photography. He removed any sky or horizon line from the frame and flattened the space until it becomes a relentless abstraction of urban expansion, with no escape for the viewer’s eye. Wolf photographed crumbling buildings in need of repair, brand new buildings under construction covered in bamboo scaffolding and fully occupied residential complexes. Wolf’s disorienting vantage point gives the viewer the feeling that the buildings extend indefinitely, which perhaps is the spatial experience of Hong Kong’s inhabitants.

The series is also available as a book entitled, Architecture of Density. It is published by Pepperoni Books and features 128 pages of incredible imagery.

For more fascinating photography, be sure to check out Michael Wolf’s extensive portfolio at: photomichaelwolf.com

 

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See More from Michael Wolf @ photomichaelwolf.com!

 

 

 

 

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