Hong Kong photographer’s images of injured protesters wins first prize in Sony World Photography Awards’ documentary section
Chung Ming-ko’s series ‘Wounds Of Hong Kong’ show 24 men and women, some with scars and bandages, taken against a dramatic black background
Chung says he wanted to draw attention to the brutality of the Hong Kong police’s treatment of anti-government protesters
Kylie Knott Published: 10 Jun, 2020
One of the 24 images in Hong Kong photographer Chung Ming-ko's 'Wounds of Hong Kong' series, which won first prize in the documentary section of the 2020 Sony World Photography Awards. Photo: Chung Ming Ko, Hong Kong, Category Winner, Professional, Documentary, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards
Images of protesters injured during anti-government clashes have won Hong Kong photographer Chung Ming-ko first place in the documentary section of the Sony World Photography Awards.
Chung’s series “Wounds Of Hong Kong” show 24 men and women, some with scars and bandages, taken against a dramatic black background.
“While the scars and bruises may fade, we must remember what caused them,” says Chung. He says he wanted to draw attention to police brutality. “The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting.”
Pablo Albarenga, from Uruguay, was named photographer of the year with his series “Seeds of Resistance” showing photographs of landscapes in danger from mining and agribusinesses alongside portraits of the activists fighting to conserve them.
What hurt most was inside. [A secondary-school student,] Chu was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and was still in a trance when I met him three months after his injury ... A kid like him doesn’t deserve thisChung Ming-ko, photographer
Other winners include British artist Tom Oldham with a black and white portrait of the frontman of alternative rock band the Pixies, Charles Thompson (whose stage name is Black Francis), 19-year-old Hsieh Hsien-pang from Taiwan, who scooped the youth photographer award, and South African photographer Brent Stirton who won the nature category for his series Pangolins in Crisis.
Chung says he is happy the prize will give him global recognition for his work that also aims to draw attention to the rise in cases of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder in the city as a result of the protests.
Hong Kong protests will inspire world even if they fail, historian says
23 Jan 2020
He said the most memorable interviewee was a secondary-school student named Chu.
“On the night of September 7, 2019, protesters formed a human chain at Tai Po Market MTR Station where Chu was beaten with police batons by at least seven police officers and needed two stitches on his head and underwent surgery for a fractured right finger. He was hospitalised for two weeks,” Chung says.
Chung’s series “Wounds Of Hong Kong” show 24 men and women, some with scars and bandages, taken against a dramatic black background.
“While the scars and bruises may fade, we must remember what caused them,” says Chung. He says he wanted to draw attention to police brutality. “The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting.”
Pablo Albarenga, from Uruguay, was named photographer of the year with his series “Seeds of Resistance” showing photographs of landscapes in danger from mining and agribusinesses alongside portraits of the activists fighting to conserve them.
What hurt most was inside. [A secondary-school student,] Chu was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and was still in a trance when I met him three months after his injury ... A kid like him doesn’t deserve thisChung Ming-ko, photographer
Other winners include British artist Tom Oldham with a black and white portrait of the frontman of alternative rock band the Pixies, Charles Thompson (whose stage name is Black Francis), 19-year-old Hsieh Hsien-pang from Taiwan, who scooped the youth photographer award, and South African photographer Brent Stirton who won the nature category for his series Pangolins in Crisis.
Chung says he is happy the prize will give him global recognition for his work that also aims to draw attention to the rise in cases of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder in the city as a result of the protests.
Hong Kong protests will inspire world even if they fail, historian says
23 Jan 2020
He said the most memorable interviewee was a secondary-school student named Chu.
“On the night of September 7, 2019, protesters formed a human chain at Tai Po Market MTR Station where Chu was beaten with police batons by at least seven police officers and needed two stitches on his head and underwent surgery for a fractured right finger. He was hospitalised for two weeks,” Chung says.
“But what hurt most was inside. Chu was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and was still in a trance when I met him three months after his injury. I suffered from bipolar disorder several years ago and understand that psychic trauma is more difficult to heal than physical injuries. A kid like him doesn’t deserve this.”
Photo: Hsien-Pang Hsieh, Taiwan, Youth Photographer of the Year, Street photography, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards.
Chu says he was also concerned about the challenges protesters face that reflect problems in Hong Kong’s society. “After being injured by the police, teenagers may not be able to go home to their pro-establishment parents. That begs the question, shouldn’t a ‘home’ be a place for recovery?”
With housing a concern for Hong Kong citizens, Chung says it was impossible to afford a studio, so most photograph locations were public places such as backstreets and parks.
Photo: Chung Ming-ko, Hong Kong, Category Winner, Professional, Documentary, 2020 Song World Photography Awards
Photo: Chung Ming-ko, Hong Kong, Category Winner, Professional, Documentary, 2020 Song World Photography Awards
Photo: Chung Ming-ko, Hong Kong, Category Winner, Professional, Documentary, 2020 Song World Photography Awards
Photo: Pablo Albarenga, Uruguay, Photographer of the Year, Creative, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards
Photo: Tom Oldham, United Kingdom, Open Photographer of the Year, Portraiture, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards
Photo: Sandra Herber, Canada, Category Winner, Professional competition, Architecture , 2020 Sony World Photography Awards
Brent Stirton, South Africa, Category Winner, Professional competition, Natural World & Wildlife, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards
Photo: Angel Lopez Soto, Spain, Category Winner, Professional competition, Sport , 2020 Sony World Photography Awards
Photo: Alessandro Gandolfi, Italy, Category Winner, Professional competition, Still Life, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards
Rebel City: Hong Kong’s Year of Water and Fire is a new book of essays that chronicles the political confrontation that has gripped the city since June 2019. Edited by the South China Morning Post's Zuraidah Ibrahim and Jeffie Lam, the book draws on work from the Post's newsrooms across Hong Kong, Beijing, Washington and Singapore, with unmatched insights into all sides of the conflict.
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