Hong Kong’s Human Rights Arts Prize – a powerful showcase of art and activism

‘This prize provides a platform for artists to share how they interpret and translate human rights issues,’ says judge Chantal Wong of the 35 shortlisted works

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Works on display at the 2020 Human Rights Arts Prize exhibition include Floating City, by Chuen Kwun Lam. Photo: courtesy of Hong Kong Human Rights Arts Prize 2020 / Chuen Kwun Lam

Kylie Knott

Published: 4:15pm, 8 May 2020Updated: 4:15pm, 8 May 2020

Art and activism is a powerful combination that has the potential to bring about social and political change.

And the art world – past and present – is littered with people who have used their creativity to make a statement, from Spanish artist Pablo Picasso (check out his 1951 painting Massacre in Korea, which criticises America’s intervention in the Korean war) and American contemporary painter Kara Walker, whose works explore race, gender and sexuality, to the anti-establishment messages of British graffiti artist Banksy and the daring works of Chinese dissident Ai Weiwei. The list goes on.

In Hong Kong, the annual Human Rights Arts Prize is a great example of art and activism. Now in its sixth edition, the prize features established and emerging Hong Kong artists from diverse ethnic backgrounds.

“This prize provides a platform for artists to share how they interpret and translate human rights issues and offers a unique way to share the stories of those whose voices are not being heard,” says Chantal Wong, one of the judges of this year’s prize. “All the submitted works respond to a certain urgency and have the power to move and inspire, if you allow them to.”

Francisco Q Segismundo’s Caged. Photo: courtesy of Hong Kong Human Rights Arts Prize 2020 / Francisco Q Segismundo

Works cover a range of mediums and subject matter, including the treatment of ethnic minorities, government surveillance and the legacy of the post-World War II British policy of sending orphans abroad for a new life where they were often mistreated.