- Title: Hong Kong's new security law inhibits anxious artists
- Date: 26th August 2020
- Summary: HONG KONG, CHINA (RECENT - AUGUST 14, 2020) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF MEMBER OF THE HONG KONG ARTIST UNION AND ARTIST HIM LO (LEFT) SPEAKING WITH FRIEND VARIOUS OF HIM LO'S ART WORK "UNTITLED" ON WALL (SOUNDBITE) (Cantonese) MEMBER OF THE HONG KONG ARTIST UNION AND ARTIST, HIM LO, SAYING: "The fear (of the security law) is that it doesn't stipulate what can be done and what can
- Embargoed: 9th September 2020 01:56
- Keywords: Hong Kong National Security Law Hong Kong protests political art
- Location: HONG KONG, CHINA/ANIMATION
- City: HONG KONG, CHINA/ANIMATION
- Country: China
- Topics: Art,Conflicts/War/Peace,Civil Unrest
- Reuters ID: LVA004CSVW2MF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Fearing their creations may violate a national security law imposed by Beijing, some of Hong Kong's artists are turning to self-censorship while others are moving their works abroad or are planning to leave the city themselves.
The law, enacted in June, punishes subversion, secessionism, terrorism or collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison, raising fears it effectively crushes wide-ranging freedoms promised to the city for 50 years after its 1997 handover by former colonial master Britain.
The city government, which has ambitions for Hong Kong to rival Paris or New York on the arts and culture scene, says the law does not curb rights and freedoms but will restore order after a year of anti-government unrest.
It says national security is a red line.
The impact of the law is appearing in various aspects of life: pro-democracy books have been taken off shelves in public libraries, shops have removed protest-themed decorations, a protest anthem and other activities have been banned in schools.
A joint statement by nearly 2,000 local and international artists and cultural workers, said the security law created "a climate of fear and self-censorship".
A political illustrator who goes by the pen name Ah To, whose cartoon column was axed from the Ming Pao Weekly newspaper last month, said he is pessimistic.
"I'm pretty pessimistic on the creative front. A lot of art usually challenges the traditional ways, or criticises social values. What if artists accidentally cross that red line, and the space keeps getting smaller. I know that some of my artist friends have chosen to immigrate," said political illustrator Ah To while detailing the finishing touches of an illustration depicting a guillotine about to fall onto a canvas marked "freedom of speech". He declined to be identified by his real name because of the sensitivity of the issue.
Ming Pao, which had featured Ah To drawings on topics censored on the mainland such as China's 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in and around Beijing's Tiananmen Square, said the decision to stop running his work was part of a revamp and not related to the new law.
Him Lo, another artist currently avoiding political topics, moved his works, including a yellow banner that read "Recapture Hong Kong," to a museum's storage space in Europe to protect them from authorities. He declined to disclose the location.
"The fear (of the security law) is that it doesn't stipulate what can be done and what cannot be done, and it is that fear that makes you self-censor yourself before you act. It has already affected art creation to some degree," said Lo, who is also a member of the Hong Kong Artist Union, a group advocating for artist welfare.
An artist using the pen name Childe Abaddon published "Voices", a collection of protest artwork, including cartoons, by mostly anonymous contributors just months before the security law came into force.
He is not planning a second edition. The artist did not want his real name used due to the sensitivity of the topic.
The city government said the new law upholds the "principles of respecting and protecting human rights".
"When exercising these rights, art practitioners need not worry as long as they do not contravene the offences as defined under the law," the government said in a statement.
"The legitimate rights of Hong Kong citizens to exercise their freedom of speech, such as making general remarks criticising government policies or officials, should not be compromised."
The government's Hong Kong Arts Development Council, said the work of artists receiving government grants should "conform with all legislation, rules, regulations and statutory requirements."
Ah To remains defiant and vows to carry on with his craft.
"You have to decide what your values are. You can possibly fear being arrested at any time, or regret that you have not done enough to try to make an impact on society. I've decided to persist," he said.
(Production: Pak Yiu, Yoyo Chow) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2020. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None