Derek Man & Tobias Brebner: Tong Yan Gai — Chinatown

Derek Man moved from Hong Kong to the UK in 2005. His work explores cultural identity and what we call home – how we form a sense of place, and what makes us feel like we belong.

Liverpool’s Chinatown (or, as it’s known in Cantonese, Tong Yan Gai), is home to the oldest Chinese community in Europe. This population has been nourished through years of maritime trade between Liverpool and Hong Kong, where most of this Cantonese-speaking population can trace their ancestry to.

This newly commissioned series explores the older generation of Chinese families in Liverpool and their sense of identity and place within Chinatown  — the subjects range from people who have lived here for 50 years to a new family who just immigrated last year.

Working in collaboration with filmmaker Tobias Brebner, Derekincorporates portraiture with family photos and videos into the work. It will show in Museum of Liverpool on a digital exhibition within the Foyer.

As part of this project, they have also created a short documentary film, which will be screened at Museum of Liverpool on Saturday 19th October, at 14:00 in Education Area 3, Museum of Liverpool.