I teamed up with the Free Hong Kong exhibition group after attending their event in Berlin. Noticing the similarities between the pro-democracy Hong Kong movement and Ukraine's EuroMaidan revolution, we came together to produce a powerful collaborative exhibition in Kyiv's Kurenivka Palace of Culture.
However, 2 days before the event opened, a letter from the Chinese embassy arrived at the gallery, warning us not to go ahead with the exhibition under the guise that this was none of our business and we were meddling in Chinese affairs. But we went ahead with it anyway, refusing to be unlawfully intimidated. Fortunately the show was a success and the letter actually ended up attracting people instead of deterring! Over the week we had panel discussions and lectures, with guests including Citizens' Press Conference, Arthur from Free Hong Kong Centre, Nastya Stanko and Azad Safarov. We covered a range of topics including the history of Hong Kong, the fraternal relationship towards Ukraine that has grown in Hong Kong, and the abuse of journalists during the Maidan and the pro-democracy protests. The exhibition was a reflection on Hong Kong's ongoing political crisis and provided a platform for the protestors to share their feelings, emotions and thoughts. The exhibition will continue to tour throughout Europe, so watch this space. Exhibition ran from 11-17th January. Follow the group here for more events https://web.facebook.com/freeHKexhibition/ |
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