Hong Kong’s Art Fair 2010 opened last night with a crowd of Hong Kong movers and shakers visiting galleries that brought works from London to New York to cities across Asia. Kai-Yin Lo, a notable member of Hong Kong’s art scene, exclaimed that Hong Kong has overtaken Tokyo in the Asian art scene.

Strolling through the maze of white walls with my friend Alex Seno, art journalist extraordinaire, I discovered The Drawing Room gallery from Manila, exhibiting photographs of handsewn girls’ dresses.

The Filipino artist, Marina Cruz, collected 1960s girls’ dresses sewn for her mother and her twin sister by her grandmother. Cruz documented the stories behind each dress.

Unfold Series is a collection of photographs showing these vintage dresses, with tender notes detailing the history of these old fabrics – from the origin of the fabric, to how “Sonia was a little big and a little dark when she wore this dress”, to “Sonia repeated grade 1″, to “this dress was used to wrap chicken we bought at the market.”

As Alex also points out, the photographs are also presented in laminated wood, similarly to school diplomas. A way to celebrate these dresses as a continuing narrative, as a continuing affection.

“Cruz weaves a distinct female sensibility into recollection, creation and appropriation to construct a narrative of identity that goes beyond nostalgia,” said gallery description.

The set sold by 8pm on the preview night (may 26) to a collector from Taiwan.