Pietà for World War III

Mother cries
There is no cot for the baby
The only mattress is the mushroom cloud
Low-orbit satellites hover over their heads
World War III is happening in and around the bedroom
Who is depriving the baby’s right to survive?
And who should contemplate their own shameful greed?

Lumli Lumlong

Born into working-class families, Lumli Lumlong studied together in France for 5 years with very limited financial means. They studied Fine Arts in École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris. Most of their artwork, which have been exhibited and collected by individuals in Hong Kong, Paris, London, Sydney, New York, Dublin and Prague, is mostly oil-painting in a grotesque style with a shared aim, revealing social realities. They have published their collection of artwork entitled “Liberarts” and “The Hong Kong Metamorphosis”. Under the rule of China, they were repeatedly criticized by the pro-Chinese Communist Party media for allegedly violating the National Security Law and using art to promote Hong Kong independence. “Liberarts” was then listed as a banned book. In 2021, they fled Hong Kong to the UK. Despite being suppressed, the couple still hope to use their works to contribute to their beloved hometown, Hong Kong.

In addition to their artistic creations, they spent the next fifteen years teaching painting after returning to Hong Kong from France. They established their own art studio, teaching mainstream students, students with autism, sponsored students and rehabilitated youths and more. They were lecturers of oil-painting at the School of Continuing and Professional Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

According to Lumli Lumlong, social reality can be more “terrifying” than their artistic creations and compassion is the ultimate expression of one’s imagination.