Creator Community: Sean Foley
“Creator Community” highlights some of the most interesting creators with collectibles available on the Crypto.com NFT platform.
Sean Foley is an Australian street photographer based in Hong Kong. His photography captures moments of solitude in a chaotic urban environment, centered on vibrant neon signs juxtaposed by gritty dystopian landscapes. Upon learning that the city is removing many of the signs for which it is known and — to him — help make it such a special place, Foley made it his mission to immortalize the iconic Hong Kong cityscape before it is transformed beyond recognition. Titled “Neon Heritage,” his upcoming NFT collection on Aug. 10 is a continuation of his efforts to conserve a major part of Hong Kong’s one-of-a-kind visual identity — which include three prior drops: “Fading Memories,” “Fading Memories: Part II” and “What Was Lost.” Crypto.com NFT’s Hanna Camacho sent the photographer five questions about himself and his work.
“Web3 reinvigorated me and the work I do with a new sense of self-belief.”
Read the Q&A with Sean Foley below and visit his Crypto.com NFT profile for more information.
Tell us about yourself.
I’m a 32-year-old street photographer born in Australia — however, for the past eight years, I’ve been living in Hong Kong. I began taking photographs of the neon signs in Hong Kong in 2017, when I first learned that they were being systematically removed — and from this mission, I began to develop an art style which I continue to explore today.
How would you describe your art?
My style is very much influenced by the city that I live in. At first, I just wanted to take photographs of the neon signs in Hong Kong before they were all removed in a documentary sort of fashion — but the longer I spent out in the streets taking photos, the more interested I became in the people that would complete compositions within a scene. I also became more experimental and fascinated by colors, and these days my compositions are just as much about what colors are in front my lens as they are about the objects and subjects which fill my frame.
Can you tell us more about your creative process?
I approach photography as sort of a meditation. It’s one of the only activities that can truly silence the inner babble of my mind and have all of my attention aligned on one goal. I wander the streets — sometimes with a theme in mind, sometimes completely aimlessly — and try to just enjoy myself, and watch what unfolds around me. Once I find a composition that I like, I often just wait around for the right subject or moment to present itself. I also very much enjoy taking photographs on rainy nights. An obvious reason for that is the fact that all light sources and colors will reflect off of wet surfaces, which makes all kinds of new compositions and amplified colors available to me — but it is also because of the way that people behave in a rainstorm. Most people walk around aimlessly in their day-to-day lives, going to and from places with their heads in their phones. But when there is heavy rain, the phones go away and people become more aware of their surroundings — trying to avoid the rain as much as possible. This makes for much more interesting subjects to me.
How has Web3 impacted the way you create?
Web3 reinvigorated me and the work I do with a new sense of self-belief. I’ve also been able to make connections with so many people from all around the world, which has opened doors for collaborations — such as some of the pieces in my upcoming project.
What can you tell us about your new project?
“Neon Heritage” is a continuation of my work focusing on the appreciation and preservation of Hong Kong’s visual identity. It showcases images and animations from around Hong Kong [that] best demonstrate the awe-inspiring visuals [that] this city has to offer.
Co-written by Hanna Camacho.
Browse Sean Foley’s profile on Crypto.com NFT.
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Editor’s Note (Oct. 3, 2022): an earlier version of this article was originally published on Aug. 9, 2022 and has since been edited and/or updated.
