‘Silent Protest’ exhibition at gallery

FOCUS ON HONG KONG CRACKDOWN

AN exhibition that explores the ‘silencing’ of Hong Kong’s youth is coming to Manchester.

Artist Martin Lever is bringing his new collection ‘Silent Protest’ to the Northern Quarter’s SAAN1 Gallery this week in support of the human rights charity Hong Kong Watch.

The collection features paintings that depict young Hong Kongers standing in front of libraries, banks, classrooms, and courts with their mouths gagged by zips or covered by Chinese national flag face masks. The images are a metaphor for Hong Kong’s controversial National Security Law and intend to shine a spotlight on the growing deterioration of creative, press and political freedoms in the region.

Despite public opposition, the National Security Law was passed in July 2020 and criminalised ‘subversion’ and ‘collusion’ with foreign forces, including speaking with western journalists.

Following the implementation of the law, which gave Beijing sweeping new powers over the semiautonomous city, the UK introduced an immigration route for Hong Kongers with British National Overseas (BNO) status in January 2021.

Since then thousands of Hong Kongers have made Manchester their home.

Born on the Wirral, Martin left Hong Kong in the wake of the security law and moved to North Yorkshire in 2022 after living and working in Hong Kong for over 40 years.

“The idea was to capture the youth of Hong Kong with their mouths zipped, as they no longer have a voice, and to juxtapose that with the words of Mao Zedong,” he said.

Martin acknowledges the exhibition risks him being banned from ever returning to Hong Kong. “It’s a risk I’m prepared to take,” he said.

Silent Protest is on from Friday, April 19 to Sunday, April 21.