Taipei: The second edition of the Hong Kong Human Rights Art Exhibition, aimed at raising public awareness of the ongoing struggles for democracy and freedom of Hong Kong activists, is being held at the National 228 Memorial Museum in Taipei.
According to Focus Taiwan, a press conference was held Sunday to announce the launch of the exhibition. Among the event's attendees were museum director Na Su-phok, human rights advocate Lee Ming-che, New School for Democracy leader Lai Jung-wei, and members of the Hong Kong Outlanders, a group formed by young Hong Kong democracy activists in Taiwan during the 2019 protests against the extradition bill in Hong Kong.
"It is unfathomable how freedoms in Hong Kong have degraded," a Hong Kong Outlanders member identified as "Futong" said at the press conference. "Hopefully, through this exhibition, people will know better than to take democracy and freedom for granted, reflect upon Taiwan's democracy and freedom, and not allow it to become the next Hong Kong," he added. Futong expressed hope that Hong Kongers would visit the exhibition and maintain hope despite the dark and challenging road ahead.
Hong Kong Outlanders chairman Sky Fung stated that Hong Kongers who have migrated to Taiwan, like himself, did so not to avoid the situation in Hong Kong but because Taiwan represents a land of freedom where they could join forces with Taiwanese citizens to oppose China.
The exhibition features photos and paintings, as well as letters written by discharged activists and political prisoners in Hong Kong during their incarceration, offering varied perspectives on Hong Kong's story. One of the highlights, "An Apple a Day," is an apple made from a copy of the June 24, 2021 edition of Apple Daily, published on the day the newspaper ceased operations after the Hong Kong government found it in violation of the National Security Law and arrested its founder, media tycoon Jimmy Lai, serving as a cautionary reminder of a silenced voice.
The exhibition, which opened on April 1, runs until June 29.