Small God, Big City Michael Wolf

For Michael Wolf, Hong Kong is a lifelong love affair. With its outstanding architecture, vital dynamics and rich vernacular culture the city was the inspiration and starting point for his ever growing body of work about life in megacities.

Wolf is also concerned that inevitable new urban development in these cities doesn't leave enough space for diversity and individual expression, and as a result the metropolis loses more and more of its unique flavor. 

In this series, the artist has focused on The Earth God shrines, usually found by the doorways of shops and homes throughout Hong Kong. Often unloved and produced from cheap materials, Wolf values their unique contribution to the city experience of Hong Kong. 

The book includes essays by Lee Ho Yin and Lynne DiStefano, providing readers with an understanding of Earth Gods and the contemporary meaning behind these photographs of diverse shrines in a bustling urban contexts. Interviews with several shrine custodians also help to illuminate the continuing relevance of these shrines in daily life.