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Marcel Heijnen's heartwarming photographs of Hong Kong's 'Garage Dogs'

He first brought us the Hong Kong Shop Cats and then the Hong Kong Market Cats, both available as books. Now Dutch photographer Marcel Heijnen is back with Hong Kong Garage Dogs.

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All images courtesy of the artist. Via Creative Boom submission.

All images courtesy of the artist. Via Creative Boom submission.

Moving away from our feline friends for this particular series and book, Marcel explores another quirky aspect of Hong Kong’s culture. The dogs’ gruffer yang to his cats’ fluffier yin reveals an unapologetically masculine world of car parts, engine grease and tough love.

"The discovery of the subject matter was more happenstance than premeditation. A few people suggested that I should feature dogs after the cat series, but I initially saw no reason for it, simply because I rarely spotted dogs that blended in with Hong Kong’s urban environment as well as the shop cats do," remarks Marcel. "Then, while on a break during the reprint of the first shop cat book, I took a stroll through the industrial Chai Wan estate and met Shu Shu, the cover dog, just a bone’s throw away from the printer’s location.

"I soon embarked on a mission to scout the territory’s car repair areas, from Shau Kei Wan to To Kwa Wan and from Tai Kok Tsui to Kam Tin – to spot photogenic canines. Garage Dogs is a more masculine and darker premise than Shop Cats. But there is also a parallel – like the cats, these dogs are functional animals, rather than pets. While the cats protect the goods in the stores against mice, the dogs guard the car workshops against thieves.

"Although not as cute and calm as the cats, the hounds gave me an excellent opportunity to expand the narrative of Hong Kong’s ‘beautiful organic chaos’ with an animal as a common element."

Find out more about Marcel's work at www.chinesewhiskers.com.

Man crouching beside a brown and black dog in front of a vintage car in a Hong Kong garage workshop
A black dog sits in front of an orange and black vintage car in a cluttered garage workshop, with tools and storage visible in the background
A grey and white bulldog sits in the driver's seat of a yellow car, resting its paws on the steering wheel
Tan dog standing alert on a concrete floor against a corrugated metal wall
A dog sits on a motorcycle in a garage filled with car parts, tools and supplies on shelves behind
Man in blue work clothes holding a brown dog in an industrial garage space with tiled flooring and tools on the walls
Red Toyota truck elevated on a lift in a crowded Hong Kong garage workshop filled with car parts and tools, with another red vehicle visible in the foreground
Four golden and tan dogs stand in an industrial garage space filled with tools, parts and storage boxes
Dogs lounging outside a ground-floor car repair garage beneath a residential building in Hong Kong's industrial Chai Wan district, with a blue truck parked nearby
Cluttered garage interior with tools, car parts and equipment hanging from walls and ceiling, with two dogs resting on the concrete floor
Brown dog wearing a protective cone collar sits in an industrial garage workshop filled with red Corgi machinery and tools
A dark-coloured dog stands in a car repair garage while a woman crouches beside it with a hose, surrounded by tyres, car parts and workers in the background
Brown and black dog with tongue out posed in front of an open car engine
A dog sits in a garage beneath a lifted Mercedes-Benz, with a mechanic working on the vehicle above and tools scattered throughout the workspace
A dog stands outside a garage stacked with cardboard boxes and tools, with an elderly man and shop owner visible inside surrounded by hanging mechanical equipment and chains.
A man and a dog stand in a cramped car repair garage with a red Toyota truck lifted on a ramp behind them, surrounded by tools, tyres and spare parts
A dog lies on the floor of an industrial garage workshop surrounded by machinery, car parts and tools, with a person standing in the background near shelving and equipment
Cluttered garage interior with yellow and black pulleys and chains hanging from shelves, metal drums, tools and equipment stored throughout, and a person sitting at a workbench on the left
A dog stands in a cluttered garage workshop with red Corghi equipment, workbenches and tools lining the walls and checkered flooring
A sparse garage interior with metal shelving, air conditioning units, religious decorative items on the left wall, and a small tan dog resting on the concrete floor near storage containers and equipment.
Marcel Heijnen crouches beside a brown dog in a garage workshop, holding a camera, with a black BMW and open bonnet behind them
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