Protest Art Around the World #2
Hong Kong’s Protests and Sticky Notes
Photographer Tommy Fung @surrealhk documents life in Hong Kong and digitally manipulates the images. Here he blows up the sticky notes that have come to cover subway tunnels, bridges, and walkways in ‘Lennon Walls’ all over the city. As a site that takes individual thoughts and turns them into a collective expression, Lennon Walls are a powerful political tool. They have a long history that starts in 1980s Prague and messages of peace sparked by John Lennon’s death and the end of the Prague Spring.
The spontaneous nature of the Lennon Wall suits the Hong Konger’s protesting the extradition bill and government brutality. Their motto ‘be water’ has helped the movement to constantly adapt their tactics. Their resilience is necessary as they repeatedly rebuild the Lennon Walls. The city has its own precedent of Lennon Walls from the Umbrella Movement in 2014 when the public targeted the walls of the central government office.
Image: Tommy Fung @surrealhk
Hong Kong’s Lennon Walls have been transformed into a flag that represents the anti-government resistance.
Artist @badiucao was inspired by the multi-coloured squares of the sticky notes that have covered surfaces throughout the city. As they are regularly torn down by government supporters, the flag is a way to preserve the Lennon Walls’ message.
Images (l-r): @badiucao, school students protest with the flag in Hong Kong; Badiucao with the flag at the UN Geneva; outside the White House; and Taiwanese protesters with a large banner of the flag
A ban on selling crafts and art at Hong Kong’s traditional new year markets has sparked a number of independent fairs where shoppers can buy protest themed goods from figurines of protesters and Pepe the Frog patches, to temporary tattoos and ‘Be Water’ chapstick. The protest movement has affected business in the city, with many now creating a ‘yellow economic circle’ - where customers spend with local businesses that support the protests. These cafes and restaurants are often sites for Lennon Walls.
Images (l-r): @mmeflm (showing her artwork against a Lennon Wall at an independent market) @dreamingritz (showing a tea house with a Lennon Wall) @wmy.pho (showing anti-government arts and crafts)
Upcoming round ups in our Protest Art series include: Chile and Embroidery, India and Web Comics