Since its founding, Blue Lotus Gallery has championed artists whose work reveals the many layers of Hong Kong, past and present. Among this new generation is French photographer Romain Jacquet-Lagrèze, whose images form a vivid tribute to this captivating metropolis.

Arriving in Hong Kong in 2009, Romain devoted himself to photographing the details that make it unique: from the distinctive street signs found throughout the city to its stunning vertical architecture, most recently explored in his photo book Echoing Above, revealing where the delicate balance between the natural and built environments lies.

Having recently returned to his native France after sixteen years in the city, Romain reflects on his time in Hong Kong, the work it inspired (some of which are featured in Blue Lotus Revisited), and how it has shaped him personally and professionally.

29 Fort Street, 2023 © Romain Jacquet-Lagrèze

You spent 16 years in Hong Kong, from 2009 to 2025. How did you see the city evolve over those years, and which changes felt most significant?

R. Jacquet-Lagrèze: The city has evolved a lot in the past fifteen years. When I arrived, it felt much more raw with many old-style buildings, tons of neon lights above my head when walking through the streets. Most of the neon is now gone due to regulation, and many old buildings have disappeared to leave space to newer, posh buildings. As the city evolved, I really feel that an intense feeling of nostalgia emerged in all Hong Kongers. More old buildings are being renovated instead of pulled down, many movies highlight the most raw aspects of Hong Kong history like the Kowloon Walled City, and I even start to see some shops or restaurants trying to reintroduce big neon signs. It feels like people in HK have realised what makes it a unique place and are trying to treasure it more nowadays.

Echoing Above, your recent photobook explored Hong Kong’s verticality. What drew you to look upward, and what do those perspectives reveal about the city’s character?

R. Jacquet-Lagrèze: I was drawn into this project by looking at the trees growing wild on residential buildings in the middle of the city. And by looking up at the trees, I began to notice the men building scaffolding high up on the facades as well as the diversity of birds flying in between the buildings. So I decided to include all three aspects in the book and show how they echo with each other.

263 Ki Lung Street, 2022 © Romain Jacquet-Lagrèze

In that series, you also photographed the “spiders” and their bamboo scaffolding, a long-standing tradition that is now being phased out. What do these images represent to you, and what does their disappearance say about the changing city?

R. Jacquet-Lagrèze: Each time I witness these men building scaffolding, I feel amazed by their skill. They look so calm when they do it, but it looks scary to us from the street, watching them. I find this contrast fascinating. I also admire the way the skills they used are part of the city's heritage. It was here already centuries ago with bamboo theatres, and it is incredible to see how this skill, passed through the generations, has been applied to modern-day life for the building and renovation of buildings. Even though the use of bamboo scaffolding for construction is set to decrease, I believe that this skill will remain alive for a long time.

Echoes of Flight, 2025 © Romain Jacquet-Lagrèze

Many of your photographs balance striking architecture with small traces of human life. How do you think about the relationship between the city and the people who inhabit it, and what makes this dynamic unique in Hong Kong compared to elsewhere?

R. Jacquet-Lagrèze: The city is made up of the people who live in it. They are the ones who give it life and its atmosphere. That’s why lately I like to have some form of living presence in each of my photos, people, but also birds or trees. Hong Kong is unique because of its topography and its rapid development, shaped by history and its location. But I think what really makes Hong Kong so recognisable and special is the resilience, creativity, and energy of the people who live here.

As Hong Kong continues to transform, do you see your photographs more as a way of documenting those changes, or as a personal artistic vision of the city?

R. Jacquet-Lagrèze: I think my photographs have both of these aspects. I tend to be mostly inspired by things that are now here but that are slowly disappearing. So although my first intent is artistic, there is a documentary aspect that is bound with each of my works. I actually like it the most when the marks of time are obvious in my photos. Like for my series “City Poetry”, where I take photos of the oldest Chinese characters on shop signs in the streets of Hong Kong. This is probably why one of the artworks from this project was selected for a group exhibition about Chinese characters at the Hong Kong Museum of Art.

Crafting the Pathway, 2024 © Romain Jacquet-Lagrèze

Now that you’ve returned to France, how do you reflect on your years in Hong Kong, both personally and artistically?

R. Jacquet-Lagrèze: I think that I wouldn't have become a photographer if I didn't live in Hong Kong. It is this city that inspired me the most visually and drew me into photography. I learned all that I know about it here. All these years here have trained my eye. And I can witness the difference from before by seeing how I can now find inspiration in Paris, while I was unable to ten years ago. And it is in Hong Kong that I managed to make my art reach an audience of collectors thanks to Blue Lotus Gallery, with whom I have been partnering for twelve year now. So I am very grateful to Hong Kong, and I am quite sure that I will keep a large part of my artistic energy devoted to this city.

As you mentioned, Blue Lotus has played an important role in your career. You began working with the gallery in 2013, and since then have held four solo exhibitions — Blue Moment (2016), City Poetry (2019), 36 Views of Lion Rock (2022), and most recently, Echoing Above (2025). Looking back, how has this ongoing collaboration influenced your journey as an artist, and what does exhibiting with Blue Lotus mean to you?

R. Jacquet-Lagrèze: I think I wouldn’t be where I am without Blue Lotus Gallery and its director, Sarah Greene. Looking back, I’m really happy with all the exhibitions we’ve done together over the years. On top of that, the gallery has also brought me a lot of inspiration through the great photographers they work with. Visually and artistically, I’ve been most influenced by Fan Ho, so I was very glad to have the opportunity to share a duo exhibition with his work last year in Belgium and the Netherlands. I’ve also been inspired by the journeys of other great photographers like Greg Girard, Michael Kenna, Michael Wolf, Marcel Heijnen, and Yasuhiro Ogawa, all of whom I discovered through Blue Lotus. I think the gallery does a wonderful job of highlighting and sharing with the world the vibrant culture of Hong Kong and Asia, past and present, and I’m very glad to be a part of it.

Selected images from “Echoing Above” are featured in our current exhibition, Blue Lotus Revisited, on view until October 12.