Austin Bell Captures Hong Kong’s Beauty Through Its Basketball Courts in ‘Shooting Hoops’

2017 saw Austin Bell, a traveler with a camera, make his initial trip to Hong Kong and was instantly drawn to the lively basketball courts dotted across the metropolis, presenting a striking contrast against the dull asphalt of American courts. This intrigue escalated into a quest when Bell revisited the city in 2019, this time with an ambitious objective: capturing images of all 2,549 of these urban basketball courts.

The “Shooting Hoops” project has become the main subject of a fresh photo book and display at Blue Lotus Gallery, offering an in-depth look at its extensive study. Amidst Hong Kong’s towering metropolis, Bell’s photographs showcase the enchantment of each location, unveiling the distinctive terrain of a city where space is scarce.

The project delves further into Bell’s fascination with “sports grounds,” utilizing basketball courts as a perspective to examine diverse urban landscapes. Interestingly, he found that more outdoor courts are available in Hong Kong than any other city globally.

Over various islands and bustling tourist destinations, Bell amassed more than 40,000 photographs over several months, even managing to photograph 475 distinct courts in a single day. “My passion stemmed from two driving factors: I wanted to reveal an overlooked viewpoint of Hong Kong and fully immerse myself in a city that has enchanted me so profoundly,” he shared.

At a cost of $49 USD, “Shooting Hoops” book can be pre-ordered on the artist’s website now. The related exhibition for this book will be displayed in Hong Kong from January 17 to February 23, 2025.

Blue Lotus Gallery
G/F 28 Pound Lane,
Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

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2025-01-15 23:56