Photography: Kris Vervaeke finds beauty in eroded cemetery portraits

For the past few years Belgian photographer Kris Vervaeke has travelled to cemeteries in Hong Kong and photographed thousands of small portraits affixed to tombstones. Recently publishing a selection of these images in his book Ad Infinitum, the simplicity of its concept and execution is incredibly powerful. The faces, which remain anonymous in the book, have been worn away from exposure to the elements over time, yet their destruction from rain, sun, extreme temperatures and humidity has gained them a simple abstract beauty. This unlikely and moving body of work, though haunting in nature, offers viewers an opportunity to reflect on the mysterious and often overlooked relationship between photography, memory and death. Sad sentiments, but so very beautifully done.