Echoing Above

(exhibition and book launth at Blue Lotus Gallery, 10-25 May 2025)

Echoing Above, his latest photobook, offers a fresh perspective on Hong Kong’s urban landscape, revealing the beauty and hidden stories that emerge when one simply looks up.

This project highlights the fading artistry of bamboo scaffolding, a disappearing craft that has shaped Hong Kong’s skyline for generations. Crafted by skilled workers known as "spiders," it is now being replaced by metal structures due to safety concerns.

It also captures the resilience of trees growing from gutters and walls, symbols of nature’s ability to thrive in unexpected places, and the vibrant birdlife soaring above, from tropical Cockatoos and Blue Magpies to the majestic Black Kite, a constant reminder of nature’s presence.

"This project is about slowing down, tilting our gaze upward, and rediscovering the hidden beauty of our surroundings," says Jacquet-Lagrèze. "Hong Kong’s skyline tells a story of harmony between nature, architecture, and tradition."

More than a collection of images, Echoing Above is a love letter to Hong Kong, capturing its unique interplay of natural and built environments. It invites viewers to pause, reflect, and see the city through a fresh lens.

Thirty-six Views of Lion Rock

獅子山三十六景

(book launch and exhibition at Blue Lotus Gallery, September–October 2022)

Press received for ‘36 Views of Lion Rock’ (highlights)

2022-2 Photography of China

2022-8 Creative Boom: Romain Jacquet-Lagrèze offers a fresh take on Hong Kong's most famous mountain

2022-8 SCMP Post Mag: Homage to Hokusai in Lion Rock photo series by French photographer that shows the Hong Kong mountain from different aspects

Limited edition prints are available from this project. Please contact us on info@bluelotus-gallery.com if you wish to receive the e-catalogue.

City Poetry

(exhibited first at Blue Lotus Gallery, July 2019)

Chinese characters are an integral part of the visual street scene in Hong Kong, used extensively for signage, advertising, and decoration. They play a vital role in shaping the city’s visual identity, appearing on storefronts, restaurants, and shops to identify businesses and attract customers. Often written in bold, colorful fonts, the characters stand out from a distance, becoming an essential feature of the city’s bustling streetscape. Traditional Chinese characters also appear in decorative motifs, such as on temple walls and gates, where they add visual richness while reflecting Hong Kong’s cultural heritage and traditions.

Selected press received for his project: City Poetry

CNN (June 2019) - The photographer turning Hong Kong’s street signs into poems

Concrete Stories

(exhibited at Blue Lotus Gallery in 2014)

Concrete Stories captures real, candid moments from the daily lives of Hong Kong’s inhabitants, particularly those in Kowloon’s older districts. Home to over 2 million people, with a population density of 43,000 per square kilometre, Kowloon is among the densest urban areas in the world. Through small, intimate stories, the collection reveals the vernacular culture of residents and how they creatively utilise rooftops in a city where every square foot comes at a premium.

These rooftops serve as communal spaces—courtyards in the sky—shared by whole buildings and offering a rare glimpse of social life above the streets. Yet this way of life is disappearing. The scarcity of land has prompted authorities to demolish low-rise buildings to make way for taller, modern residential towers. Most new developments are luxuriously finished, beyond the reach of the working-class population, leaving the once-vibrant grassroots neighbourhoods of Kowloon increasingly empty as residents are pushed to the outskirts of the city.

PRESS COVERAGE:

Selected Press Received for ‘Concrete Stories’

2018-10 | It’s Nice That: ‘Romain Jacquet-Lagreze’s Concrete Stories captures rooftop scenes, but not the kind you’d imagine’

2018-5 | The Guardian: Tall stories: the weird world of Hong Kong's rooftops – in pictures

2018-04 | Design Boom: 'romain jacquet-lagrèze captures hong kong’s rooftops in new photo series'

2018-04 | PHOTOBLOG HK: '法國攝影師 Romain JL 鏡頭下的香港天台光與影'

2018-04 | Fast Co Design: 'The Secret Life Of Hong Kong’s Communal Rooftops'

2018-04 | Format Magazine: 'The Hidden World of Hong Kong’s Rooftops'

2018-04 | SCMP: "Small Stories, Big Picture"

2018-01 | Photography is Art: 'The Concrete Stories'

The Blue Moment

太陽照耀著海洋，

全力發出光芒。

它竭盡所能，

把浪濤照得波光粼粼。

明明正值夜半時份，

真是不可思議。

節錄自《海象與木匠》－路易斯．卡羅 (《愛麗絲夢遊仙境》著者)

According to art world lore, Lewis Carroll’s 1871 poem The Walrus and the Carpenter inspired surrealist René Magritte to create one of his most famous paintings, Empire of the Light. The work depicts a paradoxical scene: a moody nighttime street, lit by a single lamp, beneath a sky that is blue and cloudy, unmistakably daytime. Magritte described it as, “This evocation of night and day seems to me to have the power to surprise and delight us. I call this power: poetry.” The painting is almost monochromatic, dominated by shades of blue, white, black, and touches of yellow or gold. In both theme and color, it recalls Romain Jacquet-Lagrèze’s photographic series, The Blue Moment.

Yet, unlike Magritte’s imagined scene, Romain’s work is real, documenting the fleeting moment at summer dusk when the city is bathed in deep blue light. Over two summers, he scouted elevated vantage points across Hong Kong and captured these moments using a large-format camera with no filters or heavy post-processing.

As Romain explains: 'For me, photography is a way to cast fleeting moments in still images. Moments and places don’t last, they disappear in time. One particular day I was shooting the city at sunset, bright light washed out most of the colours, you could feel the heat through the images. I decided to stay a little longer to watch the sun going down and the city lighting up. I witnessed how just for few minutes the city was enveloped in a deep blue haze. The blueness projected itself ferociously onto the buildings that looked colourless just a little while before. I was deeply impressed. The only way to eternalise this ephemeral moment was with my camera.’

With his series The Blue Moment, Romain Jacquet-Lagrèze documents the city in an unprecedented and unexpected manner, cementing his reputation as one of Hong Kong’s most exciting young photographers—one that is surely here to stay.

根據藝術圈的流傳，上述這首詩啟發了超現實主義畫家－雷內・馬格利特（Rene Magritte）創作出他最著名的畫作之一：《光之帝國》。這部傑作描繪充滿矛盾的景象：夜間的街道，只有一盞路燈在⼤⽩天的蔚藍天空下點亮。馬格利特曾說：「對我而言，這種白天與黑夜之間的呼喚，彷似一種讓人們驚訝和欣喜的力量。而我稱之為『詩歌』。」這幅畫幾乎是單色的，僅顯示藍色、白色、黑色和黃色/金色。巧合地，Romain的攝影系列《藍色時分》與這種神奇⾊調感覺似曾相識。

然而Romain的作品是十分真實；它記錄了夏天黃昏時份城市染藍的分裂一刻。 Romain花了兩個夏天，帶著一台大片幅相機探索不同位於高處的觀景點。 整個系列沒有應用後製濾鏡或大量的照片編輯。

「萬物變幻不息，⽽攝影就是把它凝結成圖像的方法。瞬間時光從不為誰停留，任何地點與⼈物亦會在不知不覺間驟然消失。某⽇⿈昏時分，我在市區拍照，順道欣賞⽇落景色。⽇落後的天空漸漸染上更深的藍，與此同時，路上的街燈與家家⼾戶的點燈光逐一亮起。看到整個城市被藍光包圍的一剎那，印象非常深刻，我趕緊拍下來。 這⽚極其短暫的藍彩，只有在難得的⼀瞬間才能遇見。⼀片鮮明的藍染在本來平平無奇的樓宇外牆上，輕輕的來，輕輕的走。它總是稍縱即逝，又愛逃避閃躲。能抓住它的唯一方法， 就是攝影。」Romain說道。

Romain這系列的藍調影像，將建築和大自然元素分割同時又結合起來，其構圖的美學增強當中的超現實感，城市的密度在大自然的襯托下變得更強烈。引人入勝的香港風景吸引了許多攝影師，然而尋找新的原創方式去捕捉香港，卻變得愈來愈具有挑戰性。 Romain憑藉他的作品《藍色時分》，再次以前所未有的驚艷方式記錄這座城市。 作為一名法藉居港攝影師，Romain成功確立了他作為香港最令人興奮的年輕攝影師之一的地位。

Selon les légendes du monde de l’art, ce poème a inspiré le surréaliste René Magritte dans la conception d’une de ces peintures les plus connues: “L’Empire des lumières”. Ce chef d’oeuvre dépeint l’image paradoxale d’une rue, pendant la nuit, éclairée par un seul lampadaire, en dessous d’un ciel de jour. D’après Magritte: “Cette évocation de la nuit et du jour semble pour moi avoir le pouvoir de nous surprendre et de nous ravir. J’appelle ce pouvoir: poésie”. La peinture est presque monochrome, montrant seulement du bleu, blanc, noir et jaune/or. Dans le thème et la palette de couleur, ce n’est pas sans ressemblance avec la dernière série de Romain: “The Blue Moment”.

Pourtant le travail de Romain est réel; capturant ce court instant au crépuscule quand la ville devient bleue. Pendant deux étés, l’artiste a exploré les points les plus élevés de Hong Kong avec une caméra grand format. Aucune retouche lourde n’a été appliquée.

D’après l’artiste: “ Pour moi, la photographie est une façon de projeter des moments brefs en images fixes. Les moments et les lieux ne durent pas, ils disparaissent avec le temps. Un jour, je capturais les immeubles au coucher du soleil et une lumière vive balaya soudainement toutes les couleurs de la ville, on pouvait ressentir la chaleur à travers les images. J’ai décidé de rester un peu plus longtemps pour regarder le soleil se coucher et voir la ville s’éclairer. J’ai vu comment pendant quelques minutes la ville était enveloppée par une épaisse brume bleutée. Le bleu se projetait sur les immeubles qui semblaient incolores peu de temps auparavant. J’étais profondément impressionné. La seule manière de garder ce moment pour l’éternité était avec ma caméra."

L’ambiance surréaliste de ses images bleutées est rehaussée par la composition: les structures et la nature sont présentées comme si elles avaient été découpées et mises ensembles. La densité de la ville fait face à la nature qui est tout aussi intense.

Le style très photogénique de Hong Kong attire de nombreux photographes. Le capturer d’une manière innovante est devenue de plus en plus difficile. Avec sa dernière oeuvre “ The Blue Moment” Romain JL a de nouveau documenté cette ville d’une manière sans précédent et inattendue. Il s’est en effet imposé comme l’un des jeunes photographes les plus passionnants d’Hong Kong, un qui est là pour rester. 

PRINTS ARE AVAILABLE  as archival pigment prints on metallic pearl paper,  mounted on di-bond, 
with UV protective acrylic face-mount in an edition of 9 in each size, signed and dated by artist in back. 

For further inquiries, please contact us.

Selected press for ‘the Blue Moment’:

2015-12 The Guardian, Hong Kong’s Blue Period

2016-6 Bloomberg, Capturing Hong Kong in the ‘Blue Moment’

2016-11 Format, Romain Jacquet-Lagrèze : Photographie des lueurs bleues de Hong Kong au crépuscule

Vertical Horizon

Vertical Horizon

Though Romain Jacquet-Lagrèze studied a Master’s in Multimedia and Art at East Paris University, his interest in photography only truly began while working in Los Angeles and Tokyo, and blossomed into a true passion after he arrived in Hong Kong.

Stunned by the city’s architectural “race to the sky,” he felt compelled to use his camera to share his impressions. The geometry of the urban environment, and the vivid lives it shelters, are the aspects of Hong Kong that inspire him most.

The series title, Vertical Horizon, is a nod to Hong Kong’s competitive skyline, where each building vies to be the tallest, the boldest, the most beautiful, the youngest, the oldest, or the most famous. The city becomes a metaphor for personal growth: we are ambitious, reaching for the sky, yet like buildings, our lives start at ground level and require a strong foundation to succeed.

Romain’s work has attracted attention from both local and international press, including the South China Morning Post (HK), Herald Tribune (US), National Geographic, Lonely Planet (HK), El País (Spain), Le Figaro (France), Huffington Post (US), The Guardian (UK), Stern (Germany), and many more.

《香港印象》

Romain Jacquet-Lagrèze原為一名法藉平面設計師，於巴黎東⼤學多媒體藝術學系碩士畢業。在洛杉磯及東京工作期間，他開始接觸攝影，至2011年移居香港後，環境的衝擊令他更爲熱衷。

被香港⾼聳入雲的摩天大樓所驚艷，Romain覺得必須要以相機去表達他對這座城市的震撼感受。在幾何圖形般的市區環境裡，香港⼈過著活力多彩的生活，這是香港令他著迷的原因，更成為了他創作方面的最大啟發。

《香港印象》這個系列，顯然以香港的天際線去提醒我們香港當中的競爭力，每棟建築物都在盡其所能成為最高、最前瞻、最動人、最年輕、最古老或最著名的建築。這座城市亦是人們如何成長的隱喻，我們雄心勃勃地想要觸碰天際，但我們的生活卻彷如建築物；我們必須以地面作為起點，建固一個堅實的基礎才能獲得成功。

Romain的作品在本地及海外媒體備受矚目，得到南華早報、蘋果日報、Herald Tribune、National Geographic、Lonely Planet、El Pais、Figaro、Huffington Post、The Guardian、Stern等大量媒體報導。至今他已出版過4本不同攝影系列作品的相集。

Romain Jacquet-Lagrèze est un artiste graphique français avec un Masters en multimédia et art de l’université de Paris-Est. Son intérêt pour la photographie a commencé pendant sa période de travail à Los Angeles et Tokyo, un intérêt qui est par la suite devenu une passion à son arrivée à Hong Kong.

Impressionné par son incroyable architecture, il a ressenti le besoin d’utiliser sa caméra afin de partager son point de vue de Hong Kong. La géométrie de cet environnement urbain et des vies qu’il accueille sont les aspects qui l’inspirent le plus.

Le nom Vertical Horizon est un rappel évident de la compétitive ligne d’horizon de Hong Kong où chaque immeuble essaye d’être le plus grand, le plus beau, le plus jeune, le plus vieux ou le plus connu. La ville est une métaphore de notre évolution en tant que personne. Nous sommes ambitieux et nous visons le point le plus haut mais nos vies sont comme des immeubles, nous commençons au niveau du sol et nous avons besoin d’une base solide afin de réussir.

Le travail de Romain a reçu l’attention de la presse locale et internationale telle que SCMP (HK), Herald Tribune (US), National Geographic, Lonely Planet (HK), El Pais (Spain), Figaro (France), Huffington Post (US), The Guardian (UK), Stern (Germany)…

Toutes les impressions ci dessus sont en vente en edition limitée. Merci de nous contacter sur sarah@bluelotus-gallery.com si vous souhaitez recevoir plus d’informations regardant les prix et les dimensions etc…

All prints listed above are for sale as limited editions. Please contact us on info@bluelotus-gallery.com if you wish to receive more information regarding prices, sizes, etc. 

Selected Press Received for Vertical Horizon:

2014-5 CNN Eye-popping vertical: Photos give Hong Kong skyscrapers a radical new look

2013-10 Bored Panda: Vertical Horizon In Hong Kong By Romain Jacquet-Lagrèze 

2013-5 The Guardian: Vertical horizon: Hong Kong's skyscrapers – in pictures

Wild Concrete

Wild Concrete

Romain Jacquet-Lagrèze was born in Paris in 1987 and graduated with a Master’s in Creative Media from East Paris University. In 2009, he moved to Hong Kong, where the city inspired him to explore and photograph the unique aspects of his new home.

He was stunned by Hong Kong’s architectural “race to the sky” and its three-dimensional urban character—where lifts connect so many people and businesses that they almost earn street names in their own right—and his first book reflected this: Vertical Horizon (2012), published with Asia One. The work was widely acclaimed on social media, and his photographs quickly spread across the internet, attracting attention from prominent local and international press.

Encouraged by this recognition, Romain continued to develop projects exploring Hong Kong’s unique landscape. Wild Concrete (2014) depicts nature’s resilience in an urban environment; The Blue Moment (2016) captures the city’s duality of nature and urbanity during the magic hour at dusk; Concrete Stories (2018) documents the variety of human activities found on Hong Kong’s rooftops; City Poetry 城市詩意 (2019) explores the beauty and poetry of traditional Chinese characters across the city; Thirty-six Views of Lion Rock 獅子山三十六景 (2022) examines Hong Kong’s iconic peak through multiple perspectives; and Echoing Above (2025) is a meditative study of the city’s skyline and hidden details.

Romain’s work has been featured in both local and international media, including National Geographic, Lonely Planet, El País, Le Figaro, Huffington Post, The Guardian, Stern, South China Morning Post, Apple Daily, Herald Tribune, and many more. Six of his photographic projects have been published as books.

He currently resides in Paris.

Romain Jacquet-Lagrèze 於 1978 年生於法國，畢業於巴黎東大學多媒體藝術學系碩⼠，原為平面設計師。在洛杉磯及東京工作期間，他開始接觸攝影，⾄ 2009 年移居香港後，環境的衝擊令他更爲熱衷以攝影創作。⾼聳入雲的摩天大樓，在他眼中看來格外驚艷，讓他禁不住透過攝影表達他對這座城市的震撼感受。在幾何圖形般的市區環境裡，香港人過著活力多彩的⽣活，這正是香港令他著迷的原因。Romain 的作品在本地及海外媒體備受矚目，曾得到南華早報、蘋果日報、Herald Tribune, National Geographic、Lonely Planet、El Pais、Figaro、Huffington Post、The Guardian、Stern 等多間媒體報導。⾄今他已出版了五本不同攝影系列作品的相集，最新著作為《獅子山三十六景》。

BOOKS:

AWARDS:

2017-2 | LIFEFRAMER - 'Urban Life'

PRESS COVERAGE:

2016-12 | GIZMODO: 'My Favorite Time of the Day Is When the Entire City Turns Blue'

2016-12 | PHOTOBLOG HK: '攝影師 Romain Jacquet Lagreze 鏡頭下的藍調香港「The Blue Moment」'

2016-12 | Daily News Agency (Japan): '夕暮れ時の一瞬に青く染まった香港の神秘的な街並みを撮影した写真集「The Blue Moment」

2016-9 | THE CULTURE TRIP: 'Hong Kong’s ‘Blue Moment’: An Interview With Photographer Romain Jacquet-Lagrèze'

2016-9 | NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

2016-9 | IT POST ITALY

2016-8 | ZOOM - Artist Review

2016-5 | KNACK: 'Beeld van de week'

2016-5 | FREE PRESS: 'Hong Kong’s ‘Blue Moment’ by photographer Romain Jacquet-Lagrèze'

2016-5 | WIRED: 'Forget Golden Hour. Hong Kong’s Blue Hour Is Where the Magic’s At'

2016-5 | BORED PANDA: 'The Blue Moment: I Photograph The Atmosphere Of Hong Kong During Last Minutes Of Dusk'

2016-5 | CITYLAB: 'Capturing Hong Kong in the 'Blue Moment'

2016-5 | ZOLIMA CITY: 'THE BLUE MOMENT: ROMAIN JACQUET-LAGRÈZE’S ETHEREAL HONG KONG'

2016-5 | APPLE DAILY

2016-3 | COCONUTS HONG KONG: 'French photographer catches Hong Kong at summer's dusk in 'The Blue Moment' solo exhibition'

2016-3 | CREATIVE BOOM: 'The Blue Moment: Capturing the transition from day to night in Hong Kong's industrial heart'

2015-12 | TRAVELBOOK (GERMANY): 'SO HABEN SIE HOCHHÄUSER NOCH NIE GESEHEN!'

2015-11 | LUXOS MAGAZINE, (COVER)

2015-8 | Digital Photo, Denmark: 'Nyt Perspektive'

2015-7 | Sing Tao Newspaper

2015-6 | CNN | 'Eye-popping vertical: Photos give Hong Kong skyscrapers a radical new lookEye-popping vertical'

2015-4 | Reader's Digest: 'Look Twice'

2015-3 | Silver Kris Magazine, Hong Kong

2015-1 | The Optimist - Wild Concrete on The Optimist, Winter 2015 (Netherlands)

2014-11 | DIVO Magazine (Italy) | Ponto De Fuga

2014-11 World Photography Organization, 'Hong Kong in Focus' 

2014-8 | DIE WELT (GERMANY) |

2014-8 U Magazine, 'Wild Concrete'

2014-7 | CO.DESIGN | 'These photos of Hong Kong Skyscrapers will make you very dizzy'

2014-6 | PARIS MATCH (FRANCE) | 'En Image: Le Hong Kong Vertical de Romain Jacquet-Lagreze'

2014-3 | SCMP | 'Life in a concrete jungle'

2013-11 | Lonely Planet 'High Kong' 

Available for purchase online:

If you wish to receive Romain Jacquet-Lagrèze’s e-catalogue with more information regarding available prints and prices, please submit the form here below and we will revert real soon.