Hidden Agenda

We are honoured to have been invited to create the cover painting for an investigative report published by Doublethink Lab.

In Hong Kong, obviously the pro-democracy camp and the protestors were on the receiving end of a lot, and there were two tropes that deal with this, one being Vandals and Traitors, corresponding to scenes of chaos on the streets, and the other being Law and Order, corresponding to scenes of the police and courts “bring chaos to order,” including press and politicians.

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.