Art During the Hong Kong Protests

Our Vintage by "@harcourtromanticist" (2019)

Untitled by Unkown (2019)

HongKongers Stand as one by "Phesti"

    Works regarding the 2019 Hong Kong protests are unique to past works in some ways and very similar to them in others. Art inspired by the Hong Kong protests is closely interlinked with anonymity and internet usage. This is because for many their only safe way to participate in the protest was to show support for it anonymously online. As a result, it is sometimes difficult to gather information on artistic works that support the movement, as was the case with these works. The creators of Our Vintage and HongKongers Stand as one were only identifiable by their online handles, and the third artwork Untitled (not the name but I will continue to refer to it as Untitled for clarity) was unable to be identified by either an author or a name.

    The first work, Our Vintage, is a direct reference to the French-Revolution era painting Liberty Leading the People. Even just the direct reference shows a lot about how the Hong Kong movement views itself and how it views China. The French Revolution was seen as a righteous republican movement led against a monarchy that often achieved its means by violence. The Hong Kong movement then likely sees itself similarly, as a small righteous force leading the way against an overgrown dictatorship, and a movement that can and will use physical means to achieve its ends.

    The untitled work takes a more somber tone with its monochrome theme and lack of imagery aside from the two characters that occupy the center of the piece. From the information I could find on it, the characters have two meanings, the first is the horizontal reading "conscience". The second reading is vertical and means "return" along with an image of an eye. The "return eye" reading refers to a protester that suffered an eye injury during a protest. 

    The final work, HongKongers Stand as one, is identified as being created by someone by the online pseudonym "Phesti", a pseudonym likely used in an attempt to hide from the Chinese government. The work is subversive in that it uses a symbol of government to criticize the government of Hong Kong and China. Phesti took a sign used to enforce government laws and instead used it to depict the unity of the men and women of Hong Kong.

     I think all of this art is effective in delivering its intended message. There is room for interpretation but the nature of these political works is to be clear and unified in intent and unity is the only thing to be found in this art movement.

Works Cited

Staff, T. (2019, September 19). See some striking examples of Hong Kong protest art. Time. https://time.com/5679885/hong-kong-protest-art-agitprop-illustration/

Anania, B. (2020, January 7). The viral artwork emerging from Hong Kong’s protests. Hyperallergic. https://hyperallergic.com/535273/the-viral-artwork-emerging-from-hong-kongs-protests/