The government has said that a sculpture formerly on display outside the Hong Kong Cultural Centre was being repaired after it was covered by hoarding boards and later removed, sparking censorship concerns online.
The artwork by the late Taiwanese sculptor Ju Ming features 10 figures standing in a line – some in black suits, one in pink and two in yellow raincoats.
Local media reported on Wednesday that it had been covered with hoarding, which bore a photo of the sculpture on in. However, the two figures in yellow raincoats in the image were obscured by a notice, informing people that a reinforcement project was underway.
According to photos posted on Facebook by the page Hong Kong Story, the hoarding boards originally showed the full photo of the sculpture.
The move triggered speculation of censorship online. In Hong Kong, yellow is associated with pro-democracy movements. During the 2019 protests and unrest, a protester wearing a yellow raincoat died after falling from a platform outside the Pacific Place mall in Admiralty on June 15, 2019, and yellow raincoats subsequently became a symbol of the demonstrations.
On Thursday, HKFP found that the artwork had been removed from the site.
In response to enquiries from HKFP, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), which manages the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, said on Thursday night that the department started repair work for the sculpture in late April as it was showing signs of wear after years of being displayed outdoors.
“The restoration work includes repairing damaged parts and conducting in-depth conservation treatments,” the department said in a statement in Chinese. “During the process, safety issues were discovered in the sculpture’s structure, requiring it to be relocated from the site for comprehensive assessment and the formulation of a treatment plan, which is still ongoing.”
The department said it had not received any complaints against the artwork over the past three years. It did not reply as to whether the sculpture would be displayed publicly after the repair work is completed.
A government collection
Created by Ju in 2002, Lining Up is part of his Living World series.
The LCSD hosted an exhibition of pieces from the series at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in 2014. Lining up has been displayed outside the centre since 2017.
In a Facebook post published in 2017, the Art Promotion Office under the LCSD invited the public to take photos with the artwork.
“Painted with vibrant colours, ten figures with different poses, clothes and body shapes are lining up casually… the queuing figures are expressively sculpted to large blocks with rough edges, which present a vivid depiction of people’s contemporary life,” the post read. “Among the figures, the one who wears a cap is actually the representation of Ju Ming himself!”
In 2022, the sculptor took his life at the age of 85, Taiwan media reported.
The Hong Kong government said it had informed Taipei’s Ju Ming Museum about the repair work of the artwork. The museum was founded by the artist in 1999.
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