shashasha

“Concrete Stories II” follows up on Hong Kong-based photographer Romain Jacquet-Lagrèze’s photographs of human life unfolding on the rooftops of the Asian metropolis. With a particular focus on Kowloon, Jacquet-Lagrèze patiently observed rooftops—quasi-retreats from the overwhelming urban density within the city—to capture genuine moments of strangers’ lives. His vertical compositions include in their very format the high-rise nature of his stages and subjects and almost add a sense of vertigo to the touching nature of his captures.

“Standing alone on my small concrete land above the bustling city felt like an invitation to think and contemplate. I have been trying to figure out this beauty I am after. Of course, it is not just the aesthetic quality of the city, neither its prettiness, nor its flaws. Most of the rooftops I photographed are rather chaotic, no effort has been made to beautify them at all. Although their desolation and bleakness can be visually powerful, they are by themselves too empty for emotional expression. It takes a human touch to give these scenes a soul.”
― from Romain Jacquet-Lagrèze’s afterword