Museum Grade reprint on Hahnemühle German Etching 310gsm mould-made paper. Limited reprint.

Ubiquitous in older districts and walk-ups, handcrafted metal mailboxes have become an icon of old Hong Kong. For 70 years, Mr. Lai fashioned mailboxes and household goods out of galvanized sheet metal, witnessing a boom in the metalworking industry in the 1960s as Hong Kong’s population ballooned, and its decline as the city modernizes. Mr. Lai continued working alongside his wife till the age of 91, marking the end of an era with his passing in Feb 2022.

This painting is part of the ongoing series titled “Unspoken Stories, Unsung Heroes” – watercolor sketches paying tribute to the remarkable men and women who are keeping Hong Kong’s fading traditional industries alive. With few or no successors left, most of these trades are believed to become history within this decade and disappear entirely with this generation of artisans and craftsmen.

Total run of 150 reprints, irrespective of size