We invite you to submit papers to our session, Intersections: Hong Kong and Photography from the 1840s to the Present at the College Art Association Annual Conference/CAA115 in New York City (Feb 3-6, 2027).
During the First Opium War (1839-1842), the coastal fishing village of Hong Kong was ceded to the British Empire. From that moment, it occupied a singular place in the global circulation of goods, people, and ideas, emerging as an entrepôt of exchange, mobility, and encounter, as well as a stage for geopolitical and ideological rivalry.
Photography developed contemporaneously with Hong Kong's rise as a global metropolis. By 1845, photographic studios were operating in the city. Since then, photography in and about Hong Kong has served diverse functions and constituencies: as archival evidence recording conditions and infrastructure; as a vehicle for news reporting and political expression; as a medium for artistic experimentation; and as a record of personal and cultural memory. Communities such as the Photographic Society of Hong Kong organized practices of collecting, viewing, and making.
Marking the 30th anniversary of the 1997 handover, this panel explores intersections between Hong Kong and photography, examining Hong Kong both as a subject and as a site where photography's artistic, social, and political meanings have been produced, circulated, and contested. We invite proposals on any aspect of photography and Hong Kong. Possible questions include:
- What impact has Hong Kong photography had during and after British rule, including within diasporic communities?
- Has photography in Hong Kong developed a distinct visual identity, whether in dialogue with, or in resistance to, British, Chinese, or other influences?
- What can Hong Kong photography reveal about the transnational circulation of photographic practices, styles, or political uses of imagery?
Intersections: Hong Kong and Photography from the 1840s to the Present
at the College Art Association Annual Conference/CAA115
Conference: New York City, 3-6 February 2027
cfp - closes 31 August 2026
To submit your abstract, create an account on CAA (https://caa.confex.com/caa/2027/webprogrampreliminary/meeting.html) and submit via our session page (https://caa.confex.com/caa/2027/webprogrampreliminary/Session18196.html) by AUGUST 31, 2026.
Email us with any questions: bingw@illinois.edu and zulaychang@nypl.org.
Co-chairs: Bing Wang, PhD, Chinese Studies Librarian, Assistant Professor, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Zulay Chang, MA/MLIS, Specialist, Photography Collection, New York Public Library.
Image: Queen's Road, Hong Kong, 1950s.
