Sardine City

About Peter Stewart

The first time Peter Stewart caught sight of Hong Kong, he was at a loss for words. The travel photographer is completely fascinated by the megacity’s verticality and the countless apartments layered on top of each other. “They’re… Read more

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BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The first time Peter Stewart caught sight of Hong Kong, he was at a loss for words. The travel photographer is completely fascinated by the megacity’s verticality and the countless apartments layered on top of each other. “They’re not modern skyscrapers,” he says. “They’re big estates, often made up of seven or eight 100-story towers, all just a few feet apart, almost touching.”

Stewart’s works perfectly present these extraordinary living conditions, where individual residences are a rarity, and the norm is a series of modules that repeat in vertical and horizontal layers. The photographer celebrates these giant buildings’ well-planned, symmetrical architecture and their colorful appearance. Stewart’s geometric compositions of red, yellow, and blue are reminiscent of the work of Dutch painter Piet Mondrian.

In Peter Stewart’s art, the sheer number of windows and lights is fascinating. We are astonished by these visual masterpieces as it becomes clear that there is a human life behind each and every tiny window.

VITA

Peter Stewart was born in Perth, Australia and grew up in England. He is a self-taught photographer who discovered his passion for the medium over ten years ago on a trip to Asia. These days, he is one of the best-known travel photographers in the world. His work can be seen in publications including National Geographic, GEO, Wired, and Travel + Leisure. Since 2014, Stewart has lived in the cities of the world with no permanent residence, but frequently returns to Hong Kong.