THE HONG KONG HUMAN RIGHTS ART PRIZE JUSTICE CENTRE HONG KONG

INTRODUCTION

Launched by Justice Centre Hong Kong in 2013, the Hong Kong Human Rights Arts Prize (HKHRAP) has played a pivotal role in discovering and encouraging Hong Kongbased artists to explore the state of human rights both at home and abroad. The arts prize offers a platform for artists to create work without boundaries and to magnify the impact and exposure of their stories.

The work ofJustice Centre Hong Kong in creating a public dialogue and hosting voices at the intersection of art, society, business and human rights is of the utmost importance, especially in the current climate. By collaborating across all sectors they also hope to engage the civic imagination and inspire creative alternatives to the challenges at hand.

The HKHRAP also aims to raise awareness and funds for the front-line work of Justice Centre Hong Kong. A non-profit human rights organisation, Justice Centre works fearlessly to protect the rights of our most vulnerable community members bringing their stories into the public debate. They also provide people seeking protection in Hong Kong with free and independent legal information and assistance.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL MEDIA:

Justice Centre HK website: www.justicecentre.org.hk

IG @justicecentrehk / FB: JusticeCentreHK

IG @hkhumanrightsartsprize / FB: HongKongHumanRightsArtsPrize

CHRISTY CHOW | Winner - HKHRAP 2017

De-stitching

2014

Shirt, safety pin, video projection

208 x 147 x 114 cm

De-stitching is part of the "Laborland" series. The artist took a shirt that was sewn together by a sweatshop worker in Bangladesh in less than 15 minutes. She deconstructed it by removing 3745 stitches carefully and counting every stitch in Cantonese for 4.5 hours. She did this to experience and pay tribute to the labour of this anonymous sweatshop worker. De-stitching questions the value of labour in the world of capitalism, and asks if the value of labour can only be measured monetarily.

MOK TING YAN VIVIEN

Sorry That I Can't Believe Any Word Really

2017

Correction fluid on newspaper

Size variable

"Hong Kong residents shall have freedom of speech, of the press and of publication..." as stated in the Article 27 of the Basic Law of the HKSAR. This protects the right of freedom of expression, however, the press seems not to be safeguarded under such ordinance. To avoid overstepping the prescribed limits, rigid reporting is common to fit in the "norm". The idea of questionable objectivity of the press is thus presented in the form of a plain white paper with scattered "0"s that originated from the newspaper by leaving the circular parts of the letters "0/o/p/d/b/q" and having the rest hidden with correction fluid.

JENNIFER LAI CING YAN | Second Runner Up - HKHRAP 2017

I Desire

2017

Light Installation

90 x 80 x 150 cm

This is a continuous research project on the sex industry in Hong Kong. My initiative is based on the lack of awareness and recognition of the sex workers. They are living an underprivileged life.

By adopting part of the protesting slogan from the recent Umbrella Movement, the two Chinese characters explicitly show what "I desire". The light installation uses pink neon tubes which symbolise the present brothels of the city, through which I am trying to find angle to investigate where the workers can be represented.

LEO KWOK

The Right to Hope

2016

Photography Series

42 x 30cm, set of 8

The children in the photo series have no real identities. Some of them were born in Hong Kong and they are taught to speak Cantonese, but their faces and skin colour tell you that they are not Chinese. But they do not belong to their mother countries. Their parents left their home country because of suffering and persecution on account of race, religion, nationality or political opinion. The parents made the choice to become refugees but their children do not have a choice. They are living in the shadows of fear and helplessness.

NG PUI YAN ESTHER

That Ceiling

2017

Cement, Latex paint, light tube & mixed media

61.5 x 91.5 cm

"There was a little girl being locked up on the bed and raped more than 10 times every day, all she can see is only the ceiling," as told by an anti-human trafficking leader. Can you imagine this feeling: you can only see the ceiling and customers' faces without an end in sight? The artist hopes while we are all living stably under our own ceiling, we will keep in mind that in this very moment, someone out there is suffering tragically.

LIT WING HUNG

"The White Collar" Series

2016

Mixed Media

Size variable

The clothing of a person is one of the main elements used to identify the different social classes in Hong Kong. Construction workers belong to the working class, while people who wear ties and collared shirts are the middle-class. Using "Good Morning" towels, a daily supply of the working class, to make the higher-class accessory, blurs the relationship between the labour class and second-class.

KONG KA YAN

Rights of The Child

2017

Oil Painting

60.9 x 91.4 cm

More and more people are concerned with the development, welfare, education, nutrition and health of children. However, they do not pay much attention to children's personal rights. Some only consider this an issue with those who are suffering in the Third World - however, as everyone deserves human rights, every child deserves the Rights of the Child. This work represents the voice of all exploited children worldwide in hopes to contribute in changing society's views on the topic. I hope children can clearly understand what their own rights are through this painting.

VERA CHIU

Battle House for Adults

2017

Mixed Media

37 x 32.5 x 35 cm

Welcome to this daily battle, where you fight for your space within the average living area per capita of only 47.8 square foot that many Hong Kongers are sharing. Your rights to be sheltered in a secure, affordable and habitable housing are ignored. Unrealistic housing projects are handled around like a toddler's toy. This flimsy, childlike model of Hong Kong housing is presented to you, as the concept of your living space.