— Using Photography to Witness Urban Transformation and Awaken Collective Memory —
1839 Contemporary Gallery presents artist Maria Cheung’s photography solo exhibition “The Ruin and the Ripples,” opening January 10, 2026. Using the Sham Shui Po Reservoir site as its entry point, this exhibition explores through photographic art the complex relationships between urban development, historical memory, and power structures.
The Sham Shui Po Reservoir was once a crucial infrastructure of Hong Kong’s industrial era, witnessing decades of urban transformation. Today, it stands as a forgotten ruin, silently narrating overlooked history. Through photography, Cheung awakens this ruin from oblivion, employing documentary and montage techniques to both preserve its original appearance and reveal its social significance.
These works create unease within the tension between preservation and destruction, compelling viewers to reflect: How should we treat the city’s historical remnants? What constitutes genuine preservation? What constitutes needless destruction? These questions extend beyond architecture and artifacts to encompass how we understand our own history and identity.
The exhibition also presents a darkroom imaging series using water as medium to explore themes of time, flow, and change. Water symbolizes both life’s fragility and nature’s resilience. Through the interplay of light and shadow, the artist materializes the abstract concept of time, inviting viewers to contemplate our relationships with history, the city, and time itself.
On opening day, January 10, artist Maria Cheung and curator Blues Wong will engage in an in-depth dialogue exploring how photography becomes a tool of witness and memory, and how artistic practice can awaken collective attention to urban history.
- Title: The Ruin and the Ripples – Maria Ying-May CHEUNG Solo Photography Exhibition
- Curator: Blues Wong
- Exhibition Period: January 10 – February 8, 2026
- Opening Reception: Saturday, January 10, 2:30 PM
- Artist Talk: 3:00 – 5:00 PM featuring Maria Cheung, v.s. Blues Wong
Gallery Director: CHIU, I-Chien (phD)
Venue: 1839 Contemporary Gallery
(Dedicated to photography as an art form since 1839 – the year photography was invented)
About the Curator
Blues Wong is at present a curatorial team member of the Hong Kong International Photography Festival (HKIPF).
He has contributed as a photography, fine art and film critic over three decades. His writings are selected for Daido Moriyama’s ‘Reflection and Refraction’ exhibition catalogue (Asia One Books, 2012) and ‘Hong Kong Visual Culture: The M+ Guide’ (Thames and Hudson, 2022).
Blues have curated the following exhibitions: ‘Imaging Hong Kong: Art Photography by Hong Kong Photographers’ (HKADC, 2008/9), ‘Hong Kong Photography Series 2: City Flâneur – Social Documentary Photography’ (Hong Kong Heritage Museum, 2010), ‘Rediscovering Photography in Hong Kong’ (China Pingyao International Photography Festival, 2011), ‘Post-Straight: Contemporary Hong Kong Photography’ (Hong Kong Heritage Museum, 2012), ‘300 Families Photography Exhibition’ (HKDI Gallery, 2013), ‘Twin Peaks: Contemporary Hong Kong Photography’ (Hong Kong Heritage Museum, 2014), ‘2014 Hong Kong and Macao Visual Arts Biennial’ (Ministry of Culture, Beijing, 2014), ‘1000 Families Photography Exhibition’ (Artis Tree, 2016), ‘Time/Space:
About the Artist ：Maria CHEUNG
Born and raised in Hong Kong. Before pursuing her passion for art, she worked in marketing management. In 2022, she graduated from RMIT University with a bachelor’s degree in fine art, majoring in photography, and received recognition on the Dean’s List for academic excellence as well as the 1a Space Artist Residency Award.
Since graduation, Maria has remained active in artmaking while taking on various art-related roles, including director of an international photo festival, project manager and curator for exhibitions, art history researcher and editor, and photography tutor at high schools.
Maria’s artistic practice explores historical perspectives of everyday life, capturing the passage of time. Her work employs diverse photographic methods to express her feelings and memories associated with people, places, and objects she encounters. She embraces the beauty of the imperfect and the incomplete, reflecting the erosion of time.
Awards
2023: Dean’s List Academic Award, RMIT University
2023: 1a Space Artist Residency Award
2022: Outstanding Performance Scholarship, Hong Kong Education Bureau
2020: Academic Performance Award, Hong Kong Art School
2020: Outstanding Artwork Award, Hong Kong Art School
Exhibitions
Mar 2025: Art Basel, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
Mar 2025: ‘Collect Hong Kong’, Pao Galleries, Hong Kong Art Centre
Dec 2024: ‘Latency & Visibility’, Wyndham Social
Oct 2024: Fine Art Asia 2024, HK Convention and Exhibition Centre
Aug-Sep 2024: ‘Beyond Chaos’, The Gallery of Hong Kong Art School, Hong Kong Arts Centre
Nov 2023: ‘Sanctuary’ Photo Exhibition, The Helena May
Oct – Nov 2023: The Collectible Art Fair, Pao Galleries, Hong Kong Arts Centre
Jul 2023: ‘Umarell’, Pao Galleries, Hong Kong Arts Centre
Aug 2022: ‘Another Round: Re-imagining COVID-19’, Pao Galleries, Hong Kong Arts Centre
Jun – Jul 2022: ‘Retain . Remain’ Photography & Ceramics Exhibition, Yrellag Gallery
Oct 2021: ‘Imagery & Objecthood’, Fine Art Asia 2021, HK Convention and Exhibition Centre
Dec 2020 – Jan 2021: ‘Girls on Film’, The Gallery of Hong Kong Art School, HK Arts Centre
《The Ruin and the Ripples》by Maria Ying-May CHEUNG
Exhibition Period｜January 10-February 08, 2026
Opening｜Art Talk with Artist: Sat. January 10, 2026 14:30 – 17:00
Photo Talk｜Maria Cheung, v.s. Blues Wong (Curator)
Gallery Director｜ I-Chien CHIU (phD)
Organizer: 1839 Contemporary Gallery (specializing in photographic art gallery). What’s 1839? It mean the invention of photography in 1839)
Address: B1, No. 120, Yanji Street, Da’an District, Taipei City