Nancy Sheung
Nancy Sheung (Chinese: 常惠珍; 1914–1979) was a Hong Kong photographer known for her bold lines and frequent focus on female subjects. She was most active in the 1960s and 1970s.
Early life[edit]
Nancy Sheung was born Sheung Wai-chun in Suzhou, China, in 1914. She told her husband and family that she paid for her education by working in an opium den, and she rode a horse to school with a shotgun for safety; her family has stated that these stories should be taken with a grain of salt.[1]
Personal life[edit]
Sheung married merchant Pong Kuan-Wah in the mid-1930s. Together they moved to Hong Kong, where they had six children. Sheung founded and ran a construction company, sometimes acting as the family's primary breadwinner.[1] In the late 1950s, the construction industry slowed down due to a sluggish economy, giving Sheung more time to focus on her photography.[2]
Photography career[edit]
After attending a European photography exhibit in the 1950s, Sheung became interested in photography in her 40s. She purchased her first camera, a Rolleiflex, and apprenticed to Michael Leung, a prominent local photographer.[2] She joined the Photographic Society of Hong Kong in 1965, becoming its vice-president in the 1970s.[3]
Sheung is known as one of the few female photographers of Hong Kong in the 1960s and 1970s; most of her contemporaries were men.[3] She is also known for her use of dynamic, bold lines; portraits of women; architectural eye; and images of life in Hong Kong. Some of her most notable works include portraits of her daughter(s): The Pigtail,[i] The Long-Haired Girl[ii] and Staircase.[iii] Other interesting works include Zigzag,[iv] Under the Cross,[v] The Shadows,[vi] and Drum Yard.[vii]
Exhibitions[edit]
- 23rd Hong Kong International Salon of Pictorial Photography 1968 (第廿三屆香港國際攝影沙龍). Hong Kong: The Photographic Society of Hong Kong, 1968.[4]
- "Rare Encounters: Nancy Sheung's Portraits of Women in the 1960s" at Lumenvisum in March 2015.[5]
- Exhibited at St Hugh's College, University of Oxford, in the Hamlin Gallery, from 15 October to 15 November, 2015.[3]
- Sheung's work was exhibited at the Photo Oxford Festival in 2021, the first UK exhibition devoted to her work.[6]
Death[edit]
Sheung died of a heart attack in her darkroom in 1979.[1]
Notes[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "Nancy Sheung Gallery". Hundred Heroines. Retrieved 2023-04-28.
- ^ a b Beres, Tiffany Wai-Ying. "Rare Encounters: Nancy Sheung's Portraits of Hong Kong Women in the 1960s". Lumenvisum. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
- ^ a b c Wood, Tessa (2021-10-13). "St Hugh's hosts exhibition featuring the photography of Nancy Sheung (1914–1979)". St Hugh's College. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
- ^ Archive, Asia Art. "23rd Hong Kong International Salon of Pictorial Photography 1968". Asia Art Archive. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
- ^ Lok, Evelyn (2015-03-12). "Nancy Sheung's powerful photos of Hong Kong women in the 60s". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
- ^ Gilbert, Sarah (2021-10-15). "Discovering Hong Kong photographer Nancy Sheung – in pictures". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-04-27.