Thomas Chan: Stranger on Stranger

EVENT DESCRIPTION

Stranger on Stranger, the first solo photography exhibition by Hong Kong photographer and artist Thomas Chan, artfully curated by artist and curator Kasper Forest, will be officially presented at WONTONMEEN in Hong Kong from 20 November to 5 December 2025. The exhibition centres on Thomas’ photographic experiments in Iraq, exploring the profound connections between images, travel, and humanity through chance encounters with strangers. This is not only a cross-cultural visual journey but also an artistic dialogue on trust, curiosity, and authenticity.

Stranger on Stranger originates from Hong Kong photographer Thomas Chan’s reflection on the essence of photography. He believes photography is not merely an act of passive observation, but a means of actively engaging with the world. In this unique photographic project, Thomas conducted an experiment in Iraq: each morning, he intuitively selected a taxi driver, who would lead him to “the place they themselves want to go,” embarking on a journey without any predetermined destination. These random and fleeting encounters transformed both parties into interactive partners among strangers, venturing into the unknown.

Thomas defines this project as “a photographic experiment in which one stranger relies on another stranger to understand a strange place.” These encounters not only sparked the drivers’ curiosity and bewilderment but also mirrored the mutual sense of estrangement and the parallel, interwoven dynamics between the two parties. Throughout the entire journey, Thomas captured over 2,000 photos per day, deliberately minimising technical consideration to foster immediate connections with people and their surroundings. These drivers were not merely his guides; they also became narrative collaborators, co-creating a series of image stories full of regional distinctiveness and humanistic emotion.

The exhibition is divided into four chapters.