[PARTNER EVENT] Visual Protests – Strategies for Artists to Make an Impact

This event is hosted by the Zurich Centre for Creative Economies (ZCCE) at Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK).

The 2019 Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill (ELAB) Movement marked a turning point in Hong Kong's history, sparking widespread protests and intensified control by the Chinese government. The 2020 national security law brought further suppression, triggering emigration, media shutdowns, and widespread self-censorship, especially within the creative sector. Political cartoonists and artists faced mounting pressure, with some removing critical works or ceasing production, as seen with Zunzi, a prominent figure in political cartooning.

Amid this crackdown, the 2019 protests became a showcase of creativity, particularly through political cartoons and graphic art. Unlike the physical installations of the 2014 Umbrella Movement, these visual works played a pivotal role in the decentralized protests, serving as tools for communication, mobilization, and documentation. Often labeled as "propaganda materials," they reflected collective creativity in the absence of central leadership.

Zurich Centre for Creative Economies (ZCCE) at Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) has commissioned an article on this subject to UK based artist and cartoonist Justin Wong. The article explores the profound impact of visual art on the Anti-ELAB protests. It examines how artists collaborated, shared resources, and embraced an "open-source" culture, leading to the rise of hybrid spaces like the Lennon Wall and a new youth-driven aesthetic. By analyzing these works, the study highlights their role in amplifying the movement's message and fostering a powerful sense of solidarity during a defining moment in Hong Kong's protest culture. This article can be read here.

Join us for a presentation by Justin Wong, followed by a conversation with Brenda Offe, who is studying the impact of art at ZHdK, moderated by Remko Tanis, Managing Editor at Asia Society Switzerland.

Chiu-tat WONG, Justin
Justin Wong is a London-based comics artist. He began his career as a political cartoonist and illustrator in 2007. His daily political cartoon column Gei Gei Gaak Gaak was first published in the newspaper Ming Pao in Hong Kong. Since then, he has published several comics series including Lonely Planet, Hello World, This City / That City, New Hong Kong, Big Time, and Je préfèrerais ne as. Justin was an Assistant Professor at the Academy of Visual Arts at Hong Kong Baptist University. His research interests include comics studies, generative comics, and the development of political cartoons in Hong Kong. 

Brenda Marcia Offe
Brenda Offe is an Austrian-Ghanaian Master’s student in Design, Trends & Identity at the Zurich University of the Arts. She holds a BA in Social & Cultural Anthropology from Austria and later moved to Amsterdam, where she worked in an advertising agency while actively advocating for greater diversity and inclusion in the creative industries through her involvement in an NGO.
Through her bicultural background and Afro-European lens on the world - Brenda’s multicultural upbringing has been a driving force in everything she does. Fueling her commitment to reshaping the creative industries into a more culturally authentic and representative space- particularly for Black and African descendant creatives. Through her research and initiatives, she explores new, inclusive design narratives that disrupt Eurocentric frameworks and pave the way for a more diverse and representative creative landscape.