Seeing the Unseen: 看見看不見

Hidden Stories from Hong Kong’s Underrepresented Groups

Dr. Chen Fong Fong

 

 

This student-led, research-based exhibition features twenty-six posters and one video that reflect how these students have understood and interpreted issues of gender, class, and race in Hong Kong and how these issues have evolved to shape Hong Kong society.

 

In fall 2020, students from GFHC1046 (00001) An Introduction to Gender, Class and Race collected materials from libraries and archives and interviewed community members who are part of one or more marginalised groups. Through the lenses of ethnicity, race, gender, sexuality, or occupation, students worked in groups to explore community issues in Hong Kong at large, and some focused on a particular district. For most of the students, this was their first time making a poster or video. Despite research challenges and technical difficulties, these works show how the students attempted to think visually and to engage with these issues.

 

Student participation in this group project was intended to foster an awareness of these community issues among younger people, but this project has also connected communities and brought the problems and needs of these marginalised communities to the attention of a larger audience. This student exhibition enriches our understanding of multiculturalism and the needs of people from different ethnic, racial, and class backgrounds, as well as members of the LGBTQ community, migrant domestic workers, and people living in poverty.

“Seeing the Unseen” is one of two exhibitions that showcases works from the students in this course. Another exhibition, entitled “Silent Voices: Hidden Stories from Hong Kong’s Underrepresented Groups,” will display selected student works together with pieces by local artists Chan Sai-lok, Ivy Ma, and Yuenjie Maru at 1a Space from 18 December to 31 December.

 

Through these two exhibitions, students revealed stories from underrepresented groups in Hong Kong, cultivated empathy for more people in society, and gained an awareness of how these social distinctions have shaped and influenced daily life. We hope to inspire deeper thinking about ways of building a more inclusive and equitable community, as well as developing a sense of commitment to the common good.

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