HONG KONG — Now in its eighth edition, the Colors of Humanity Arts Prize 2022 is co-hosted by Justice Center Hong Kong and the European Union Office to Hong Kong and Macao, and supported by the Goethe-Institut Hongkong.
The focus of this year’s exhibition was to celebrate diversity and inclusion through arts. Each piece of the shortlisted works acknowledges the extraordinary resilience shown by people across borders and cultures during the Covid-19 pandemic alongside conflicts in Ukraine and beyond. The Arts Prize honors art as a lens through which we see a shared peaceful and dignified future for all, and as a catalyst for introspection, inclusivity, and collective healing.
At the Award Ceremony on June 24, the six winners of the “Colors of Humanity” Arts Prize 2022 were announced. The winning pieces were selected from a shortlist of 25 artworks by an international panel of professional artists and art therapists, alongside directors of accomplished arts organizations.
Winning the competitive Trained Artist Category Award, Pak Hei Chung’s mixed media work, “20200701,” presents a unique but familiar view of the Victoria Harbour, by layering clippings of the front pages of different newspapers from July 01, 2020 to encourage reflection on Hong Kong’s shared future for all.
The winners of the Trained Artist, Community Artist, and Team categories each received one of Asia’s most prestigious art awards alongside a cash prize of HKD 10,000. Amrita Tandon was named the Community Artist Category Winner for her drawing “All kinds of kinds,” while Muse Circle received the Team Category Award for their video work “A Play in Presence.”
Alongside the aforementioned prizes, the Justice Centre Choice Award was presented to the artist whose work best reflects the organization’s mission to enhance the protection of Hong Kong’s most vulnerable with a cash prize of HKD 2,500. The Youth Award was separately judged to encourage young artists, still in school, to showcase their talents with a prize of book vouchers worth HKD 1,000. “We will only belong to our own self” by Shuk Fan Tsang won the Justice Centre Choice Award and Contrinx by Cheryl Lai took home the Youth Award.
The InkluVision Award, supported by Goethe-Institut Hongkong, was presented to an artwork that advocates an inclusive society without limitations and defines inspiring visions alongside a cash prize of HKD 9,000. Hoi Kuoh Mak won the InkluVision Award with his painting “The World is Colorful.”
All shortlisted and winning artworks are now on showcase until July 23 at the Goethe-Institut Hongkong in an exhibition curated by a leading local team of curators.
“Congratulations to all the winners of the ‘Colours of Humanity’ Arts Prize 2022. We have always been fortunate to receive such remarkable pieces for consideration, and this year was no exception,” remarked Jessica Alam, the Interim Co-Executive Director of Justice Centre Hong Kong. “We all look at art, at the world around us, through our own lens, and with our own interpretations, but art brings us together to inspire reflection, to forge connections that transcend differences, and to tell humanity’s shared stories. For 15 years, our organization has been listening to these stories as we support refugees and other forced migrants in our city, with the hope of enhancing social cohesion and inclusiveness in Hong Kong.”
During the ceremony, the Head of the European Union Office to Hong Kong and Macao, Thomas Gnocchi, said, “On behalf of the European Union Office, I extend my congratulations to all the winners of the ‘Colours of Humanity’ Arts Prize 2022. Their artworks, which are a combination of aesthetics and reflections on the state of contemporary society, deliver a strong message that equality, human dignity, and inclusiveness shall be upheld at all times. In these difficult times with Covid-19 alongside conflicts including the war in Ukraine, raising awareness about protecting fundamental rights has become more important than ever. The European Union will always assist and support those who stand up for fundamental rights. I would also like to thank all the other artists participating in this meaningful event, who through their art have put effort in reminding society about the preciousness of humanity.”
“On behalf of Goethe-Institut, we are happy to be again part of this meaningful project. My heartfelt thanks to all the artists who have created works to celebrate and advocate for a livable, open and inclusive world, in a spirit of respect for others and encouragement to reconnect,” said Dr. Almuth Meyer-Zollitsch, Director, Goethe-Institut Hongkong.
A live auction of the six award-winning pieces will be held on July 07 evening at the Goethe-Institut, with tickets to the event now available on Eventbrite for a suggested, tax-deductible donation of HKD 250. The remaining 19 shortlisted works are all available to purchase via online auction through July 23, alongside limited copies of selected works’ reprints available to purchase here. All proceeds go directly to support future Arts Prize events and enable Justice Center to continue its non-profit work in Hong Kong.
