Why this Hong Kong illustrator depicts ‘beautiful’ factories, estates and crowded streets

Ever since Hong Kong-born illustrator John Ho Tat-hung moved abroad, homecomings have hit especially hard. “Coming out of the airport, passing over Tsing Ma Bridge and seeing the sea – I realise I haven’t seen such a vast expanse of ocean in a long time,” he says. “It takes my breath away. But maybe people who’ve lived here their whole lives wouldn’t notice it.” That sense of rediscovery – seeing home through fresh eyes after time away – is at the heart of Ho’s new exhibition, “100 Corners of Hong Kong”, at Ztoryhome in Sai Ying Pun. Open until August 23, the show brings together 100 of Ho’s illustrations of the city, roughly half of them created in the past few months, alongside older works spanning more than a decade. It marks an emotional return for the illustrator, who has spent the past four years living in Yokohama, Japan. Mostly known for his warm and playful picture books and Instagram posts, Ho moved to Yokohama to study and further his craft. The distance, he says, has changed how he sees the city where he grew up. “Every time I come back, Hong Kong feels so exciting,” he says. “There’s a strange sense of looking at it like a foreigner, from a different angle. That feeling is really strong.” The exhibition focuses on what Ho believes is the city’s true cultural identity: its bustling, crowded streets, its ageing housing estates and the gritty industrial buildings that make up the fabric of daily life. “The oldest piece might be from more than 10 years ago,” Ho says. “You could say this project started long before I had the idea for the exhibition, and it just slowly built up over time.” He has painted around 40 new pieces since March, often working through weekends without a break. Ho, who is represented by the bearlike character “Meatie Bear” in his illustrations, says the collection’s deeper purpose is simple: to remind residents to see the beauty around them. “A lot of the people living here might not notice how beautiful Hong Kong is,” he says. “I want to awaken that in people – to remind them that this place really is lovely.” The illustrator says he is particularly drawn to unremarkable urban scenes – the kind of older estates he grew up in and holds dear, which most people pass by every day without a second glance. “What I really want to express is this feeling that ordinary places can look like tourist attractions when you paint them. A regular building, with a bit of story added, becomes something special. “That’s the core message I want to share – that anything can be beautiful.” More significantly, his goal was to preserve those places and moments forever on the page. He says there are so many parts of Hong Kong that risk being lost to memory if he pauses for too long. Many of the places he has painted are already transformed or slated for redevelopment. One piece captures the Sunbeam Theatre in North Point – a site he remembers visiting as a child. “Seeing it at different stages of my life, it represented different phases of growing up,” he says. Another work features Shek Kip Mei Estate, which he painted before its imminent demolition. “When I revisited, it was already mostly gone,” he says. “I feel like I’ve painted so many things that seem like they might disappear soon.” Another is Aberdeen’s Yue Kwong Chuen estate. “I searched online and saw it was an old estate that might be taken down, too. I’d never been before, so I made a special trip – and it was beautiful. I wanted to capture that feeling with my brush.” Ho’s favourite discovery of late is the Kowloon Flour Mills in Kwun Tong. “I’d passed it on the bus before but never walked around the back,” he says. “Then you see those huge Chinese characters – ‘Kowloon’ – it’s stunning. That painting turned out to be one of my favourites.” He was similarly drawn to Ngau Tau Kok’s Garden Estate, where a large painting captures the blue-toned housing blocks. “I painted it, but when I came back, the colours had changed – they’d been repainted,” he says. “If you put the painting next to the real scene, there’s this huge contrast.” But perhaps the most unexpected subject is the Garden bread factory in Sham Shui Po – a building Ho admires for its architecture, but also a brand that holds personal meaning. “Everyone in Hong Kong has eaten Garden’s products,” he says. “In my painting, I drew a boy and a girl exchanging a Garden bread loaf – like a student’s love token. It’s quite playful.” Reflecting on changes since his move abroad, Ho notes how many neighbourhoods have transformed. “Some shops have closed. Some signs have changed,” he says. “This project won’t end with these 100 paintings. There are still so many places in Hong Kong to discover, and everything always changes so fast. “There will always be new stories to paint.” Ho will be present at Ztoryhome on two weekends, August 15-16 and August 22-23, during the exhibition. “100 Corners of Hong Kong”, Ztoryhome, G/F and 1/F, 118 Queen’s Road West, Sai Ying Pun. Wed-Sun, 9am-6pm. Until August 23.

Why this Hong Kong illustrator depicts ‘beautiful’ factories, estates and crowded streets

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}John Ho shows what he thinks is Hong Kong’s true cultural identity by painting the buildings and streets that form the fabric of daily life

John Ho shows what he thinks is Hong Kong’s true cultural identity by painting the buildings and streets that form the fabric of daily life