Esplanade Presents

Visual Arts

Happy Valley

Co-Presented by Singapore International Photography Festival and Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay
Pierfrancesco Celada (Italy)

4 Oct 2024 – 5 Jan 2025

All Day

Esplanade Tunnel

Free
Installation view of Happy Valley, Pierfrancesco Celada, 2014 – 2022.
Installation view of Happy Valley, Pierfrancesco Celada, 2014 – 2022.
Installation view of Happy Valley, Pierfrancesco Celada, 2014 – 2022.
Installation view of Happy Valley, Pierfrancesco Celada, 2014 – 2022.
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Synopsis

In this long, tunnel-like walkway, solitude and gatherings, selfies and remnants, unspoken words, and reflections converge, revealing an uncanny yet familiar scene within a bustling Asian metropolis. Between 2014 and 2022, Pierfrancesco Celada's encounters in Hong Kong evolved into poignant images that capture moments of restraint, contemplation, and unspoken murmurs, inviting viewers to uncover their deeper meanings.

 

People and places stand for time; time that one remembers, and time that one imagines to be. Happy Valley is assembled as an allegory weaving through time and narrating the state of mind in pursuit of an ordinary life in Hong Kong. In the words of Celada, "Through visual metaphors, I have explored my relationship with the city, aiming to create a contemporary portrait of Hong Kong, reflecting its complex and multi-layered realities”. This exhibition marks Celada’s first solo showcase in Southeast Asia and is accompanied by the release of a new publication in October 2024.

Language: English
Things to Note:
Accessibility Advisory: We provide a range of access services and relaxed performances for patrons with access needs. For wheelchair-accessible seats, please call Esplanade Customer Experience at 6828 8377 for assistance. Concessions for Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) and up to one accompanying companion are available. | View our accessibility guide
Artist Information

Pierfrancesco Celada

After completing a PhD in Biomechanics, Pierfrancesco Celada (b.1979, Italy) is now focused on a series of personal long-term photographic projects documenting life in modern cities. He won the Photo Folio Review, Les Rencontres d’Arles (2021), the Guernsey Photography Festival International Competition (2020), PHmuseum Photography Grant (runner-up, 2020), Happiness Onthemove Award (2017), EPEA’03 (2015), the Photolux Leica Award (2014) and the Ideastap and Magnum Photos Photographic Award (2010). His work has been published and exhibited internationally, including Les Rencontres d’Arles, Fotografia Europea, Cortona ONTHEMOVE, Nobel Peace Center, Gulbenkian Foundation, Wyng Foundation and Deichtorhallen. Celada currently lives in Venice.

Date & Time

4 Oct 2024 – 5 Jan 2025

Esplanade Tunnel
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