• News
  • Add Your Events
  • Support & Advertise
  • Contact Us

Logo

Navigation
  • Art News
  • Art Listings
    • Current Exhibitions
    • Upcoming Exhibitions
    • Auctions
    • Workshops
    • Talks
    • Guided Tours
    • Festivals, Markets, Parties
    • Kids’ & Families’ Events
    • Performances
    • Film
    • Open Calls
  • Art Venues

Through the Streets and the Darkroom – Photographic Work by Hor Kwok Kin

Hor Kwok Kin

artcommune gallery presents the first solo exhibition of Singapore photographer, Hor Kwok Kin (b. 1939). Through the Streets and the Darkroom showcases a nostalgic collection of over 40 black-and-white photographic images, which were captured and developed by the artist using darkroom techniques, and in limited editions, in the period of 1960s-80s. A commemorative monograph featuring 63 of the artist’s black-and-white photographic works will also be launched in conjunction with the exhibition.

Several of Mr Hor’s works had won awards in international photography competitions and participated in international photography exhibitions. He earned the Associateship of The Photographic Society of Singapore (PSS) as well as the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain (RPS) in 1986. He was subsequently awarded the Fellowship of RPS in 1992 – a rare feat in his time as only 22 Singapore photographers, including himself, attained this honour. Mr Hor is also one of the prominent judges of the Singapore International Salons of Photography (SIP), organised by PSS.

Hor Kwok Kin, Fair Trade 1962, Gelatin silver print

Hor Kwok Kin (b. 1939, Ipoh) came to Singapore in 1958 and worked for over a decade at Loong Yick Kee Restaurant in Bugis before venturing out in the 1970s to open his own tze char stall. Mr Hor was a chef by occupation, but pursued photography with an unreserved passion. In his early days working at Loong Yick Kee Restaurant, he laboured from 11am to 1am daily, and without off days. With dogged determination, and by compromising the only window of rest he could afford, Mr Hor went onto the streets of Singapore and shuttled between ends of the island between 5:30-11am in the mornings to take photographs. As shoots were conducted in the early hours of the day, his images were often drenched in intense morning sunlight, giving rise to the dramatic backdrops for his subjects. Unable to afford the equipment and services that well-to-do photographers had access to, he converted the bathroom of the restaurant into a darkroom where he processed his photographs by mixing the chemicals from scratch.

Mr Hor’s art can be classified alongside the works of other modernist photographers, such as his friend and mentor Yip Cheong Fun. The thoughtful use of geometric elements in his compositions particularly recalls the latter’s influence. Deeply influenced by Henri Cartier-Bresson, he aimed in his practice to capture realist Singaporean scenes by seizing upon moments of working-class activities and everyday interactions among ordinary folks. As the period of Mr Hor’s practice coincided largely with the transition of a post-independent Singapore, he managed to archive in the process a variety of sites, professions and activities that once characterised life in Old Singapore.

Venue: artcommune gallery, 76 Bras Basah Road, #01-01 Carlton Hotel, Singapore 189558

When: 13 - 30 Nov 2020, 12noon - 7pm

By: artcommune gallery

Share this story:
  • tweet

Comments are closed.

Art Calendar

SAGG on Facebook

Singapore Art & Gallery Guide

3 days 3 hours ago

theindependent.sg/national-gallery-singapore-reveals-untold-legacy-of-asian-artists-in-modern-art/

National Gallery Singapore reveals untold legacy of Asian artists in modern art - Singapore News

This new art show tells the story of Asian artists in 1920s Paris that most people have never heard.

View on Facebook
Share

Singapore Art & Gallery Guide

3 days 3 hours ago

thesmartlocal.com/read/retro-places-singapore/

14 Retro Places In Singapore To Feel Like You've Travelled Back In Time

Retro's back in fashion, so here's a list of 14 retro places in Singapore you can go to to immerse yourself in an old-school charm.

View on Facebook
Share

Singapore Art & Gallery Guide

2 weeks 1 day ago

www.businesstimes.com.sg/lifestyle/arts-design/national-gallery-singapores-ink-show-ambitious-unsatisfying

National Gallery Singapore’s ink show is ambitious – but unsatisfying

[SINGAPORE] National Gallery Singapore’s new ink exhibition sets out with an ambitious goal: to show ink not as a fixed tradition but as a living, changing language shaped by calligraphers, poets, abstractionists and experimental artists over time and across cultures. Read more at The Business Tim...

1
View on Facebook
Share

Singapore Art & Gallery Guide

2 weeks 6 days ago

www.littledayout.com/ocean-diving-into-the-unknown-exhibition-alliance-francaise-singapore/

Ocean: Diving Into The Unknown At Alliance Française Singapore

Take a dive into the blue world at Alliance Française’s latest exhibition, Ocean: Diving into the Unknown. A collaboration with the French National Museum of

View on Facebook
Share

Singapore Art & Gallery Guide

4 weeks 1 day ago

www.eco-business.com/press-releases/uob-partners-sg-eco-fund-to-bring-sustainability-and-art-to-the-community/

UOB partners SG Eco Fund to bring sustainability and art to the community

UOB, one of Singapore’s leading banks, and the SG Eco Fund have announced a two-year partnership to drive greater community awareness of sustainability and art.

View on Facebook
Share

Singapore Art & Gallery Guide

1 month 6 days ago

www.straitstimes.com/life/arts/eight-singapore-indie-booksellers-launch-bookshop-sg-as-amazon-alternative

Eight Singapore indie booksellers launch Bookshop.sg as Amazon alternative

The online store, which launches on May 14, describes itself as an act of "radical cooperation". Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

1
View on Facebook
Share

Singapore Art & Gallery Guide

1 month 1 week ago

www.asiaone.com/singapore/over-50k-gold-coins-cash-stolen-veteran-artist-koeh-sia-yongs-home-while-he-was-bali

Over $50k in gold coins, cash stolen from veteran artist Koeh Sia Yong's home while he was in Bali

SINGAPORE — While veteran Singaporean artist Koeh Sia Yong was away in Indonesia for nearly two months earlier in 2025, his bedroom drawers back home were emptied of more than $50,000 in valuables. The 87-year-old returned to his two-bedroom unit at The Interlace condo in Depot Road on March 15 to...

View on Facebook
Share

Singapore Art & Gallery Guide

1 month 1 week ago

danamic.org/2025/05/11/order-is-essential-what-we-learnt-about-fernando-zobel-at-his-national-gallery-exhibit/

Order is Essential: What We Learnt about Fernando Zóbel at his National Gallery Exhibit

Come learn with us about the life, thoughts and works of Fernando Zóbel in a truly transcontinental exhibition that's open right now!

View on Facebook
Share

Singapore Art & Gallery Guide

1 month 3 weeks ago

www.businesstimes.com.sg/lifestyle/arts-design/how-one-man-made-nude-art-possible-singapore

How one man made nude art possible in Singapore

Yeo Workshop celebrates the legacy of Solamalay Namasivayam, who fought for nude figure drawing when it was still considered 'indecent'. Today, nude figure drawing is a cornerstone of artist training in Singapore Read more at The Business Times.

1
View on Facebook
Share

Singapore Art & Gallery Guide

2 months 2 weeks ago

www.harpersbazaar.com.sg/lifestyle/robert-zhao-hong-kong-art-week

Robert Zhao Might Be One Of The Best Singaporean Artists That You’ve Never Heard Of, Until Now

We caught up with the creative mastermind behind CHARLES & KEITH’s latest Artist In Residence project.

2
View on Facebook
Share
  • News
  • Add Your Events
  • Support & Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy & Terms
© 2020. Singapore Art & Gallery Guide
We use cookies that are necessary for the website's functions. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkNoRead more