The story behind photographer’s New York show of Hong Kong goldfish market shots

#SoHongKong Dutch portrait photographer so intrigued by Mong Kok spectacle on a stopover he returned to shoot images now on show. He loves working in Hong Kong because ‘you can just walk around without being noticed’

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One of the goldfish shops on the Hong Kong goldfish market. From the exhibition Hong Kong Goldfish Market at Brooklyn Bridge Park, New York. Photo: Copyright Janus van den Eijnden

Published: 1:16pm, 24 Jun 2016Updated: 2:38pm, 24 Jun 2016

A Dutch photographer who was captivated by the Mong Kok goldfish market on a brief stay in Hong Kong returned last year and spent 10 days documenting it for a photo series.

Janus van den Eijnden, 33, says he captured a few snapshots on his phone during his stopover three years ago, but they left a lasting impression on him.

“You are a bit intrigued because you see all those fish who are captured or almost caged in little plastic bags; they’re with hundreds of each other on the shelf or the wall, they look so beautiful,” he says.

Goldfish on offer in Mong Kok. From the exhibition “Hong Kong Goldfish Market” at Brooklyn Bridge Park, New York. Photo: Janus van den Eijnden

Van den Eijnden’s photo series is now on display at the FENCE, an outdoor exhibition in Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York. He is one of 40 photographers in the running for a grand prize to be announced later this month, which includes an exhibition at Photoville, New York’s largest annual photography event, a US$5,000 cash prize and a US$5,000 camera package.

Hongkongers flock to the goldfish market during Lunar New Year, because the fish are symbols of good luck. But the market has seen better days. A report in January said it once had hundreds of shops but now there’s only about half as many.