These Neon-Soaked Cityscapes Make South Africa Look Like Hong Kong

South African-based photographer Elsa Bleda specializes in cinematic shots of nocturnal cityscapes, shaped by brutalist architecture and lit up by an ever-present fluorescent glow.

Featuring empty streets and very little human presence, her moody scenes wouldn’t look out of place in Tokyo or Hong Kong. But the majority of Bleda’s photographs are actually taken in one of South Africa’s most populated cities, Johannesburg.

While some of Bleda’s photos were taken in Durban, Cape Town and even Istanbul, there’s no denying their Asian influence. Speaking to Hunger Magazine, the photographer explains that she has a great passion for East Asian cinema and directors like Wong Kar-wai, Park Chan-wook and Kim Ki-duk.

Unsurprisingly, she also cites Blade Runner as an source of inspiration, alongside the gothic cinema of Dario Argento, David Lynch’s particular vision and convention-defying Japanese artist Eiko Ishioka. As she explains of her process:

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