In The Magistrates (2025), I explore the intricate tapestry of Hong Kong’s criminal justice system from 1841 to 1979, focusing on the untold lives of seven magistrates. This work emerges from the Central Magistracy – decommissioned in 1979 –  a site steeped in history, where countless people sought justice. Through newly commissioned research and creative inquiry, I confront the limitations of historical narratives in capturing the deeper, lived experiences of those lost to time.

Rather than sidestep the tension between empirical history and ideological myth-making, I embrace this conflict as a universal truth. The Central Magistracy building itself, laden with unseen memories and anecdotal hauntings, becomes a vessel for ghosts of the past. By transforming rare images of the magistrates into handmade cardboard cut-outs, I invite these figures to reclaim their presence in the contemporary landscape of Hong Kong, transcending the black-and-white confines of historical framing.

Guided by a self-aware British female narrator, the narrative navigates the patriarchal legacies of the past while reflecting on contemporary gender dynamics. Water, as a recurring motif, symbolises continuity and connection, reminding us that despite the changing cityscape, the ocean and mountains remain constant witnesses to history. In a time of censorship, The Magistrates seeks to retrieve fragmented narratives from Hong Kong’s colonial history, encouraging audiences to engage with the racial complexities and specificities of the city’s memory, myth and identity.

Commissioned by Tai Kwun, The Magistrates (2025) will exhibit in a future cycle of Tai Kwun Central Magistracy’s permanent exhibition. Photo courtesy of Tai Kwun.