Hong Kong photographer Gareth Brown has spent the last 19 years working on a personal project called Bodies in Motion, Bodies at Rest – using dance to showcase the city’s unique points of view.
Hong Kong Dance Company dancer Debby Chuang in an abandoned industrial building in Tsing Yi, apparently a large paint factory operated by Swire in post-war Hong Kong. Photo: Gareth Brown.
For what he called a “very personal passion project”, he photographed ballerinas, contemporary and traditional dancers, as well as artistic swimmers and aerialists, against the backdrop of heritage buildings, natural landscapes and modern infrastructure.
Dance artist Sudhee Liao at Pun Uk, a Meixian Hakka residence in Yuen Long, dating back to 1934. The building was built by Hakka businessman Pun Kwan-min, who contributed financially to the 1911 Revolution to overthrow the Qing Dynasty. In 1938, the future Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai stayed in Pun Uk. The mansion is Grade II listed, and although apparently sound, the structure has been left derelict for many years. Photo: Gareth Brown.
Aquatic performers Nora Cho, Grace Pang, Carmen Leung, Michelle Pang and Chan Hoi-lam – members of the Hong Kong Artistic Swimming Team – in a river pool in Sheung Luk Stream, Sai Kung. The photo was taken before the deepest pools became popular with social media influencers and bold tombstones. Photo: Gareth Brown.
Suku Limbu and Sajna Gurung, of the Hong Kong Nepalese Dance Group, at the Burma Lines Hindu Temple, the former Queen’s Hill Army Camp in Fanling. The Abandoned Temple is a visually stunning architectural gem. Designed as a place of worship for British Army Gurkhas, its hexagonal shape resembles a lotus flower. Photo: Gareth Brown.
“Over the years, I’ve kept the works mostly to myself, dance and heritage friends,” said Brown, who is originally from the UK.
By amassing a large collection, “I’m trying to bring it to the attention of a wider audience.”
Contemporary dancer-choreographer Abby Chan at the Kam Tin Tree House, where the roots of a massive banyan tree are intertwined with the remains of an ancient study hall. It is located in Kam Tin, a traditional historical village famous for its many temples. Photo: Gareth Brown.Former Hong Kong Ballet star Irene Lo, now associate director of the Hong Kong Ballet Academy, at the Adaptation House, or Fong Pin Yuen in Cantonese, on the outskirts of Tai O, Lantau Island. The institution was established by a Buddhist woman named Yip Sin-hoi in 1934 for terminally ill and dying patients to spend their last days. Photo: Gareth Brown.
The photographer said he usually finds places of interest – “culturally, historically, or just look good” – and then chooses the dancers who best fit the place.
For example, in a river pool in Sheung Luk Stream, Sai Kung, he worked with members of the Hong Kong artistic swimming team. At an abandoned Gurkha Hindu temple in Burma Lines, he collaborated with traditional dancers from the Nepalese community. An aerialist poses on a tree wall of the former Tung Chi College on Ship Road, which has since been demolished.
Prima ballerina Faye Leung, formerly senior principal at the Hong Kong Ballet, in Iceland’s Eastern Corridor, a prime example of ambitious massive infrastructure projects that embody Hong Kong’s can-do spirit. The ballerina’s movements, full of power and grace, pay homage to this remarkable work of modern engineering. Photo: Gareth Brown.
Joana Cambeses, an aerialist and acrobatic performer, hangs from a wall tree at the former Tung Chi College on Wan Chai’s Ship Road. The building has been redeveloped since the image was taken. Some of the most impressive wall trees can be found on Ship Street. Photo: Gareth Brown.
Contemporary dancer Sarah Xiao at the historic 33-meter granite edifice on the Tai Tam Upper Reservoir Dam. Photo: Gareth Brown.
“If nothing else, the project is an interesting historical record of the (Hong Kong) dance industry, as well as locations that no longer exist or probably won’t exist for much longer,” Brown said.
The project gave him the opportunity to work with some of the city’s outstanding dancers, such as Hong Kong Ballet principal dancer Yang Ruiqi, former Hong Kong Dance Company principal dancer Laura Pan, and ballerina-choreographer Abby Chan.
Contemporary dancer-choreographer Flora Hon and actor-dancer Rick Cheung at Sunset Peak, Hong Kong’s third highest peak, on Lantau Island. At the top, there are 20 small concrete huts built by missionaries in the 1920s. Legend has it that the huts served as a refuge from the intense heat and humidity of Hong Kong’s summer, as well as the many spiritual distractions in the booming city. Photo: Gareth Brown.Contemporary dancer Siobhan Dumigan braves the cold temperatures at Cape D’Aguilar Battery, on the southernmost tip of Hong Kong Island. The WWII relic stands on a rocky outcrop in a hostile environment. Photo: Gareth Brown.
“I was very lucky”, said the photographer about the collaborations.
At the end of Brown’s solo EXHIBITION at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club last year and another show at the Hong Kong Dance Awards last week, “Bodies in Motion, Bodies at Rest” is currently on display at The Corner Shop, a small gallery in Tsim Sha Tsui managed by the Mondrian Hong Kong Hotel.
The exhibition will remain until May 17.
Hong Kong Ballet principal dancer Yang Ruiqi at Plover Cove Reservoir in Tai Mei Tuk, the first freshwater coastal lake to be built in Hong Kong. The dam has a clean, futuristic aesthetic. Photo: Gareth Brown.
Laura Pan, former principal dancer in the Hong Kong Dance Company, in Shek Lo, an imposing abandoned colonial mansion in Fanling. The building – built in 1924 by Peter Tsui, founder of Wah Yan College – is a blend of Chinese and European architectural styles. Uninhabited since the 1980s, the Grade 1 listed structure has become a sanctuary for a large colony of bats. Photo: Gareth Brown.
Modern dancer-choreographer Lemon Doo and dance partner Tonia Wan at the Innovation Tower, designed by Zaha Hadid. The futuristic-looking building, located on the Hung Hom campus of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, has fluid curves with an ethereal, otherworldly appearance. Photo: Gareth Brown.
Exhibition: “Bodies in motion, bodies at rest” – Photography by Gareth Brown.
Dates: April 20 – May 17, 2026.
Opening hours: 11 am to 11 pm.
Country: The Corner Shop by Mondrian, 11A-11D Hart Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui.
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