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Book Review: Hong Kong by Mikko Takkunen
©Mikko Takkunen
As a native New Yorker; Mikko Takkunen’s book Hong Kong resonated deeply with me in a way I can only describe as breathtaking. 2020. The year we all wish to forget. In that year during the Covid pandemic Mikko, a photo editor from Finland, living in Hong Kong would go out into the streets mainly at night and start shooting what he saw. Was the Hong Kong he knew coming to an end? Was the world coming to an end? What he captured through his lens defines many emotions we can’t put into words during a trying time that we will all be talking about for decades to come. This book personally resonated with me because it seemed so familiar. The work resonated with me down to my core as I flipped through the pages of this extremely well-put-together hard cover and thought about my city during that drastic time. I felt personally connected to Mikko’s work as I hungrily flipped from page to page. It not only reminded me of New York but of some imaginary post-apocalyptic neo-noir cinematic experience. His photos are unreal but at the same time extremely real. They are heartful and thoughtful but capture the heartache, desolation, and isolation of the time they were taken.
©Mikko Takkunen
The photos in the book are vibrant. They are poignant. They are crafted with such a dramatic flare that Hong Kong could be any city in the world, especially during that trying time. I associated them with New York because I’m a selfish New Yorker who thinks we are the center of the world but as I turned the pages I realized this was the world at the time. It really made me think about the pandemic in a different way. Every city was a wasteland. Empty streets. Minimal people. Desserted office buildings. In a world of over six billion people, the photos really made me gasp and think to myself “Where did everyone go?” On a side note, it was nice seeing a creative actually accomplish something during lockdown. More often than not folks said they would do something but just ended up drinking all day every day for months at a time and definitely not producing amazing photographs of barren cityscapes.
©Mikko Takkunen
Each photo in this book tells a rich and vivid story. In order to embrace the full extent of the artistry on display here I implore you to try and put yourself in Mikko’s shoes. In this case, the artist is very much part of the art especially if you read about the impetus for wanting to create these images. You will feel transported not only across the globe but back in time as well. I really enjoyed the work and as soon as I finished the book I restarted it again. You need more than one sitting with this and although the book itself is small, it tells a much larger story. It would also make for a great conversation piece when you have company. I recommend it.
Hong Kong
by Mikko Takkunen
Published by Kehrer Verlag
https://www.kehrerverlag.com/en/mikko-takkunen-hong-kong
Location: Online Type: Book Review
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