‘A new view of the city’: US artist Sarah Morris’ film of Hong Kong, star of M+ facade, offers an outsider’s depiction
- She’s made films about New York, Beijing and more. Now Sarah Morris talks about capturing the aura of Hong Kong in her latest piece, ETC
On January 26, two depictions of life in Hong Kong had their global premieres.
One was Expats, a six-part Amazon television series starring Nicole Kidman, based on the 2016 novel The Expatriates, by Janice Y.K. Lee. The outside world has given it mixed reviews but as no one inside Hong Kong is (legally) able to watch it, no further analysis is possible here.
Morris, who wasn’t present, has been making films about cities since 1998. Her first, Midtown, was shot in New York on a single day and is nine minutes, 36 seconds long.
From the beginning, her fascination with shiny architecture, anonymous humans, urban transport and corporate power was evident; since then, she’s shifted her gaze further afield – to Washington, Miami, Paris – and the work has become longer.