FASHION photographer Danny Lim will bring his camera from New York back to where he grew up when he holds his first solo exhibition in Malaysia at the Hin Bus Depot Gallery in George Town, Penang.
Titled “Good Morning_____,” the exhibition is slated to run from May 9 to 17, shifting his focus from the global fashion circuit back to the familiarity of home.
The exhibition will offer a straightforward, two-way introduction between the photographer and the land he calls home. After years working in the manic New York scene for international magazines and labels, the Penang-born photographer is looking at his roots with a seasoned eye, while giving the local community a chance to see his work for the first time.
His work has appeared in international publications such as Interview Magazine, Vogue (HK, Japan, and Korea), Numéro Berlin, Document Journal, and ODDA Magazine. He has also shot for global brands including Calvin Klein, Burberry, and Luar. His portrait subjects include Dylan O’Brien, Havana Rose Liu, Naomi Watanabe, Thomas Doherty, Shawn Yue, and Trippie Redd.
The exhibition will showcase a series of quiet portraits of Malaysian youth, cast by Tham Casting with Sara Kong producing the original photo shoot. Alongside the photography, the gallery features an on-site text installation written by Kelly Lim. Departing from his usual high-fashion models, these frames capture the subjects in their simplest form, creating an intimate space where people can just be themselves.
“A beginning. A quiet moment of arrival. A moment of becoming,” the exhibition text notes. “For a photographer returning to the rhythms and familiarity of home, this exhibition is that morning. Each portrait is a personal greeting: to a friend, a name, a presence. Intimate yet open, they reflect a generation of youth in Malaysia at their own daybreak, remaining confident, wide-eyed, and undefined,” said Penang Art District in a statement.
By focusing on these early moments, the exhibition will facilitate a mutual discovery, allowing viewers to learn a place all over again and figure out their own identity along the way. The show will function as a direct greeting to the neighbourhood: Good Morning, my dear friend. Good Morning, mom & dad. Good Morning, George Town. Let’s talk.
Kenny Ng, Penang Art District general manager & Hin Bus Depot programme director, said the exhibition marks a meaningful homecoming, offering both the artist and the community a chance to reconnect through a shared sense of place.
The doors open on May 9 (Saturday) from 12pm onwards at Hin Bus Depot Gallery. Entry is completely free, and everyone is welcome.
Pix courtesy of Penang Art District