Get a Glimpse of Life's Little Moments at This Beijing Photo Exhibition

Routines are essentially what give us structure in our day to day lives. But it’s the little things that occur while these routines are happening – a glance, the turn of a book page, a bird flittering to a nearby branch – that, however mundane and seemingly ordinary, can remind us that every day is different.

These moments make up an exhibition at Cafe Zarah of selected photos from the work of LS Lee, a British-Hong Kong photographer who has called Beijing home for over six years. During this time, Lee has ventured into the hutongs to capture the little moments within the routines of our daily lives, with a special emphasis on photos taken prior to the first Covid outbreaks.

To find out more about the show and the photographer’s work, we caught up with Lee the day before the exhibition opening on Sep 15.

Tell us a little bit about what this show is about?
The exhibition, kindly hosted by Zarah, is a small selection of the street photography that I’ve been doing in Beijing since I first arrived all the way back in 2015. Specifically, the chosen photos are from before Covid-19 and now have become an even stronger record and, in some ways, a lament of the times that used to be, a reminder of the colourful facial expressions in the hutongs that lit up our walks to the shop to pick up some fruit, veg and baijiu.

How did you first get into photography?
I got into photography late, during university. At first I simply wanted to record nights out, little trips, gorgeous sunsets and the like but then I discovered that when you simplify the 3D world with all its bumps, creases and folds into a flat 2D photo on your computer screen, there is this transformation which, when done well, can be magical. Even though a still image carries less information than our combined senses of sound, smell, touch, taste and of course sight, it still wants to tell me more than what is contained within the rectangle.

As a form of expression (i.e. Art), photography is the most accessible. I’ve never been great with a pencil or paint brush and I’m too restless to sit down with a pen or keyboard, therefore, the camera has been my perfect tool for instantly capturing and conveying what I see and feel.

Have there been any changes in your work since starting out?
I discovered quite quickly the kind of images that I liked the most were documentary, photojournalism and street photography, in other words unstaged candid captures of the world as it is and that hasn’t changed much over the years. I am always looking for that Decisive Moment when people and their environment come together in a perfect frame which requires good shoes and a lot of walking!

What has changed is that I now take less photos than I used to, partially because I have become much stricter about what defines a good image, partially due to increasing familiarity with the city and certainly a whole lot due to Covid and anti-epidemic restrictions. There are always fascinating everyday moments to be captured if you look hard enough but it is a lot more challenging now that everyone is wearing face masks and seems to be glued to their phones more than ever…

What do you hope people can take away from this show and your work in general?
Aside from obviously taking home a print, I hope that the photos can capture people’s attention and make them stand still for at least 10 seconds as that for me is the sign of a good photo. In those few seconds, I hope people will see the simple, ordinary things that happen every day which if we noticed, would reveal something about our city and maybe about ourselves and our place within it. And, if they’re really curious to see more, then they can peruse my website for more works at lapsunlee.com

Peking into Beijing will be held at Cafe Zarah from Sep 15 to Nov 11, with the exhibition opening taking place on Sep 15 from 7pm onwards. Entry to the opening and exhibition is free.

READ: State of the Arts: Exhibitions and Fairs to Catch Over the Mid-Autumn Break (and Beyond)

Images courtesy of LS Lee, Cafe Zarah