LET THERE BE LIGHT: PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHN FUNG 光是看見

John Fung (photography)

Phoebe Wong (editor)

Although cast as an unruly artist in his younger days, John Fung has always been deeply concerned about the human condition and its interconnectedness with nature. Steadfast in being true to what moves him, his photographic work shimmers with arresting authenticity. This is a quality that has intensified with age—his later works transcend the physicality of the subject into something beyond.

Let There Be Light is a two-volume set containing nearly 200 of Fung’s works, grouped into three sections that broadly signify a stage in his artistic practice. ’Wander’ shows his early tendency towards the documentary format and humanist eye in series like Ten Years On (1976–86). ‘Dust’ shows a turning point towards critical, surrealist mirages in series like One Square Foot (mid-2000s). ‘Asway’ shows Fung’s turn to abstraction with nuanced, ultra-close perspectives and ethereal atmospheres in projects like Water . . . Now (2016–). This mapping of keywords helps to explain his motivations, techniques, ways of seeing, states of mind, and aesthetic choices.

The works are accompanied by critical essays from Phoebe Wong, Cho Man Wai, Valerie Doran, Lau Chi Sun, Lo Yin Shan, Lin Chen Wei, and Cheung Ping Ling. This third edition in the Standart series comes with a collectible fold-out poster book jacket.