Women in Film & Photography 2025 Exhibition
The Ruins of Lost Souls | FION C. Y. HUNG

The Ruins of Lost Souls is a series of collage images I created in response to research into traditional taboos, body discrimination and bullying of marginalised people – an extension of themes that I had explored in my previous series, The Skeletons in the Closet. The work is also a visual response to how a condition in my own family has shaped the exploration of my own identity and existence in recent years.

My family was diagnosed with a genetic disease termed Marfan Syndrome in 2016. We all underwent blood tests. To my surprise and confusion, I was the only family member that was not diagnosed with this disorder. Even though I do not carry the disease, I believed that my family had been judged by medical authorities as “unwanted people”, echoing ideas rooted in eugenics.

Being the only undiagnosed member, it was difficult for me to navigate my place in the family. I started exploring abandoned sites, which are quiet places to help me temporarily forget my worries. These places are described as “negative spaces”, as their existence is not recognised. At first, I felt scared and uneasy to enter the ruins. However this feeling turned to a sense of curiosity and an extraordinary calm. I finally came to realise that my uneasiness came from my lack of understanding of these places. Similarly, my own uneasiness about my family’s situation came from the lack of understanding of this genetic disease. The abandoned sites made me understand that the source of fear is ignorance of things, and the experience of confronting the unknown is a form of self-healing.

The work uses imagery of pigeons and spiders, as well as other body props to mimic the physical characteristics of patients with Marfan syndrome. These patients are also known as “Pigeon Man” or “Spider Man” because of their unusual long bone structure, protruding sternum, curved joints, and drooping facial features. In staging these scenes, I attempt to relate to the external gaze received by my family members, reflecting on  the prevalence of body discrimination in modern society.

About Fion C. Y. Hung
Fion C. Y. Hung (b.1993) works primarily in staged photography and photo collage, presenting them in the forms of installation and books. Her photography practice challenges the nature of humanity, inspired by the traditional stereotypes she encountered as a woman in Chinese society, family trauma, and conflicts with others in daily life. Within this topic, Hung is currently studying the concept of Eugenics and how it influences society’s treatment and understanding of disabilities (especially the group of people who inherit genetic disorders) under capitalism and the industrial movement in both history and the modern world.

Hung is a visual artist, a researcher, and an art educator. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Hon) in Visual Arts from Hong Kong Baptist University in 2016 and completed a master’s degree in Photography from the London College of Communication, UAL in 2023. Her artworks have been exhibited internationally, including the Chiang Mai Photo Festival 2017, Hong Kong International Photo Festival 2020, FORMAT Photo Festival 2020, and Copenhagen Photo Festival 2020. Her project The Skeletons In The Closet (2021-2022) was selected as one of the finalists of the Hahnemühle Student Award and was exhibited in Photo London in 2023. It is also exhibited as a solo show at the South London Gallery as part of Peckham24’s programs in 2023. Hung is currently teaching photography in the Academy of Visual Arts of Hong Kong Baptist University and the Hong Kong Metropolitan University since after her study in the UK.

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