MANILA, PHILIPPINES — The Hong Kong Human Rights Arts Prize 2021 is pleased to announce a Special Exhibition to be held between 16 November 2021 and 29 November 2021 on the University of Hong Kong campus. This Special Exhibtion is co-organised by Justice Centre Hong Kong and the Committee on Gender Equality and Diversity, Faculty of Arts, the University of Hong Kong.
The Special Exhibition will showcase the reprint of a total of 11 works selected from this year’s Hong Kong Human Rights Arts Prize shortlisted entries at the G/F Gallery, located at the Run Run Shaw Tower. Members of the University and the public are all welcome to visit the Special Exhibition, subject to the University’s opening rules and public health measures.
Now in its seventh edition, the Hong Kong Human Rights Arts Prize 2021 continues to honour the power of art as a catalyst for social change and the defence of human dignity. Under this year’s theme of “Shared Future”, the Prize specifically celebrates the extraordinary resilience shown by all forced migrants with the hope of shedding light on a shared peaceful, dignified future for migrants and all.
The works selected for the Special Exhibition are created by artists from diverse backgrounds, who bring their own experiences of different human rights issues. We are honoured to provide this platform for their unique and insightful perspectives on a wide range of subject matters, including the treatment of minorities in Hong Kong, the global refugee crisis, gender inequality and violence, and LGBTIQ rights.
“We are very grateful for all the support of the Faculty of Arts’ Committee on Gender Equality and Diversity in bringing the Hong Kong Human Rights Arts Prize to the HKU campus. Academic freedom and the freedom of expression, artistic and otherwise, are cornerstones of the promotion and protection of human rights in any society,” remarks Melanie McLaren, Executive Director of Justice Centre Hong Kong. “The Justice Centre team works with refugees and survivors of torture, human trafficking, and forced labour on a daily basis, and too often we find this issue is overlooked. We hope that the art shown in this Special Exhibition continues to spark discussion around these issues, and other issues of injustice and inequality.”
“Since its establishment in 2016, the Committee on Gender Equality and Diversity (CGED) has aimed to showcase research on gender and diversity issues, champion inclusivity, and encourage focused discussion of the many challenges faced by marginalised or socially vulnerable groups in Hong Kong and beyond,” says CGED KE and Outreach Subcommittee Lead, Dr. Chong Li. “We are excited to be collaborating with Justice Centre Hong Kong on this meaningful exhibition. The related event on November 24 will further highlight one of the artworks’ common themes—gender-based violence—and serve to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women which falls on the following day.”
The Hong Kong Human Rights Arts Prize continues to engage all sectors of the community and works with artists, institutions, media, galleries, and corporations to raise awareness and funds for the work of Justice Centre Hong Kong. The non-profit human rights organisation works to protect Hong Kong’s most vulnerable forced migrants – refugees, asylum seekers, survivors of torture, forced labour, and human trafficking and continues to bring their voices alive with the Hong Kong Human Rights Arts Prize.
