Taking us back to 1990s New York, Hong Kong artist Gretchen So is presenting a retrospective photography exhibition marking 25 years since 9/11. Held at HKI Gallery in Wong Chuk Hang from September 1 to October 31, ‘The World Trade Center: Before Memory’ transports viewers back to an era when the Twin Towers were still part of everyday life.
Glimpses of a New York’s everyday skyline
‘The World Trade Center: Before Memory’ presents a collection of medium-format black-and-white photographs taken by So in the early 1990s, capturing the Twin Towers as casual backdrop figures rather than grand architectural monuments.
When So framed these shots—from Brooklyn Bridge walkways to playgrounds on Governors Island—there was no grand intention to create a historical record. She was simply documenting the rhythms of everyday metropolitan life, where the towers sat quietly in the distance overlooking street corners, waterfronts, and industrial lots. Decades later, history has transformed these casual observations into poignant records of a city irrevocably altered.
Memory meets urban space in Wong Chuk Hang
So uses her extensive background in fine art and urban studies to examine how time and historical events alter our perception of physical spaces.
While shot in New York, the series reaches far beyond a single city, tapping into a broader investigation that has defined So’s practice for over three decades: the evolving relationship between people and urban space. The collection freezes a specific metropolis at a singular point in time, showing how history can completely rewrite our emotional understanding of a place. For a Hong Kong audience long accustomed to swift architectural overhaul and constant urban redevelopment, this exploration of vanishing landscapes, shifting memory, and collective loss feels instantly familiar.
Essential details
- Dates: September 1 – October 31 (Tuesday to Saturday, closed public holidays)
- Location: HKI Gallery, 12D Derrick Industrial Building, 49 Wong Chuk Hang Road
- Opening hours: 12pm – 6.30pm
- Price: Free admission
- Booking/Info: Visit gretchenso.com or email info@artbridgehk.com