Happy Valley by Pierfrancesco Celada at Esplanade - Theatres On The Bay

This exhibition marks Celada’s first solo showcase in Southeast Asia and is accompanied by the release of a new publication in October 2024.

Overview

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”.

Happy Valley is also curated by SIPF Festival Director Gwen Lee, who is also the Co-Founder and Director of DECK (Organiser of the SIPF). This exhibition is co-presented with the Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay, with the generous support of the National Arts Council Singapore, AVS Printing, Italian Council, Direzione Generale Creatività, Embassy of Italy Singapore.