Repairs on Hong Kong sculpture spark questions over censorship
- Hoarding around sculpture while it is repaired has grey panels over photos wrapping around boards blocking out two figures in yellow raincoats
Maintenance work on an art installation in the heart of Hong Kong has sparked questions about the extent of censorship amid the city’s changed political landscape.
For years, Lining Up by the late Taiwanese artist Ju Ming has stood outside the Cultural Centre in Tsim Tsa Tsui, a row of 10 cast bronze sculptures of everyday people, carved in Ju’s inimitable minimalist style that made him one of the most recognised contemporary artists in Asia.
But parts have sustained damage, and since April the Leisure and Cultural Services Department has enclosed the work with hoarding reaching more than 2 metres (6.6 feet) high while it carries out repairs.
A repeating photo of the work wraps around the boards. But at some point since late May, the department inserted grey panels covering each photo at the point where they show two sculptures in the line up dressed in yellow raincoats, a colour associated with the protest movement.
Wording on the grey panel states renovation work is under way, along with the name of the artist and the title of the piece.
