The COVID-19 pandemic forced the world into stillness, but in Hong Kong’s Zoological and Botanical Gardens, movement refused to die. Evolving from a prior commission by the Arts Promotion Office, Defying COVID distills the urgency of a city determined to outlast crisis. It narrows its gaze on the visceral human spirit that emerged—untamed, inventive, and unapologetically alive.

When lockdowns shuttered gyms and sports facilities, the Gardens - a 150-year-old sanctuary of Chinese banyan trees and winding paths—became a stage for reinvention. Here, amid the rustle of leaves and echoes of colonial history, I observed a quiet revolution: individuals reclaiming control over their bodies and minds. Their defiance was not just physical; it was a rejection of helplessness, a declaration that even a virus could not strip away their right to vitality.

This project documents fleeting acts of resilience. The lens lingers on clenched fists gripping resistance bands, sweat glistening on determined faces, and the kinetic energy of bodies adapting to a world in flux. These images crystallize Hong Kong’s “Lion Rock Spirit” — a local ethos of grit and adaptability — while transcending geography to mirror a global truth: in crisis, humans do not merely endure, they reimagine.

Defying COVID shifts focus to amplify raw humanity over curated narratives. It is not about the symbiotic dance between people and place, but about the fervor that persists when both are threatened. The Gardens, once a backdrop for leisure, became a canvas for survival—a paradox where isolation fostered solidarity and restriction birthed creativity.

Through this portfolio, I honor the universal perseverance of mankind. These images prove that resilience is not a reaction, but a reckoning—a refusal to let the world shrink us, even when it closes in.

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