Siu Wai Hang

Siu Wa Hang is a photographer and new-media artist. Siu uses photography and video to investigate the manipulation of images and the qualities of visibility, temporality, and subjectivity inherent to these media, and often applies these investigations to create social and historical commentary. Siu holds an MFA from the Department of Fine Arts, The Chinese University of Hong Kong and BA Hons in Creative Media from the School of Creative Media, City University of Hong Kong. Siu was the recipient of Hong Kong Human Rights Art Prize (2018) and the WYNG Masters Award (2014 and 2016 respectively). He was also named as an ifva Emerging Talent (2016). His work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in Hong Kong, mainland China, and Taiwan. Siu currently lives and works in Hong Kong, and holds teaching positions at various universities and art institutions.

Siu Wai Hang Artist’s Statement:
“As a man used to responding to the world with a camera, I felt powerless carrying my instrument and facing the current situation in Hong Kong. This doesn’t mean I think that photography isn’t effective in revealing reality, but rather that its strength of documenting the physical world also turns it into a deadly weapon. The Hong Kong protesters don’t welcome cameras, worrying that if their faces are captured in an image it would become a piece of evidence in the government’s hands. I didn’t take many photos, even though I brought my compact camera to every protest I attended in 2019. Every time I picked up my camera and got ready to shoot, I felt guilty and afraid to capture people's faces. I was caught in a dilemma of choosing between being a protester or a photographer. Finally, I decided to punch out all the faces in my photographs to protect the people, and at the same time, as both a protester and a photographer, to re-establish the importance of photography in these events. The action of punching out the faces in my photos speaks to two extremes. First is the original intention, that this action will prevent people from being recognized. But on the other extreme, it evokes the violence of the powers that be: from their perspective, Hong Kong is an important place for the entire country, but not for the Hong Kong People. And the way they solve a problem is to stop the people who bring the problem into the open. So my series has an ironic title: “Clean Hong Kong Action.”.

Siu Wai Hang Artist’s Statement: Open Ta Kung Pao video:

Numbers, the indicator of dissatisfaction, but it seems that doesn’t work anymore. Tired, no matter how long we walk, we will never reach the goal.

Doubt, our voices are ignored, even though we are exercising our rights; is that the purpose of freedom of speech?

(Note: Siu Wai Hang’s Open Ta Kung Pao video was filmed during what was, until 2020, a massive and peaceful pro-democracy protest in Hong Kong, pointedly staged annually on July 1st, China’s “National Day”. Exploring the relationship between identity and power, Siu films the July 1st demonstration as it passes the headquarters of the state-owned, pro-Beijing newspaper Ta Kung Pao. Edited to form a continuous loop, the middle of the frame is elongated to give the appearance of a conveyor belt and examines both the futility and the necessity of protest in the city. Siu’s video was awarded the Hong Kong Human Rights Art Prize, 2018. As of July 2020, The July 1st protests have now been banned by the government. )