Wharf Hong Kong Secondary School Art Competition winners show anxiety of taking off masks, elderly loneliness
- Annual contest, now in its 12th year, was supported by the Hong Kong Museum of Art; works are on display at Harbour City in Tsim Sha Tsui
- Winning pieces illustrated insecurity of removing masks after end of Covid-19 regulations, empty nesters and helping others
“Appearance Anxiety?” by Belle Hui won first place in the Digital Graphics category at the 2023 Wharf Hong Kong Secondary School Art Competition. Photo: HandoutThis year’s Wharf Hong Kong Secondary School Art Competition attracted entries from more than 260 secondary school students from Form One to Six, with winning pieces focused on alienation and anxiety.
Supported by the Hong Kong Museum of Art, the competition, now in its 12th year, encourages younger generations to step out of the classroom and broaden their horizons through art. This year, the competition accepted entries in two categories: Digital Graphics and Painting. While students could create work based on any topic, there was a special award based on the theme of “Harbour.Love”.
Form Six student Belle Hui Hei-wan was named the Digital Graphics champion for her piece Appearance Anxiety?. She said it was inspired by how her family members reacted to not wearing masks, which led her to think about social masking.
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“Most of them said they wouldn’t [take off their masks when the regulations were lifted] because they didn’t want people to see their expressions,” said the St Paul’s Convent School student.
Belle wanted people to question their relationships with masks and understand that it is normal to feel less secure and confident once they remove their masks.
Using digital pencil and oil paint brushes, Belle gave her piece a traditional aesthetic by adding exposition and rawness to her artwork.
“In contrast to traditional painting, digital painting often creates a feeling of alienation, much like the effect masks can have on us,” Belle explained, noting that her work aims to resemble the barriers between people during the pandemic.
“Everyone has flaws, and we don’t have to be perfect. I want to encourage people to confidently take off their masks and reconnect with those around them through facial emotions and expressions.”
Liu Wei, from P.O.C.A. Wong Siu Ching Secondary School, won first place in the painting category with her depictions of postage stamps from different generations to illustrate the idea of the “empty nest elderly”.
“When I interviewed my grandparents about their feelings as “empty nesters ... I often saw the sadness in their eyes,” the 19-year-old artist recalled. “Although they told me that they fully understood and accepted their children’s decision to leave, I know they must have suffered from unimaginable loneliness in their hearts.”
In her piece Love, Leave, Liu used different colour tones to illustrate ages and expressions.
Liu said the contrast between the black-and-white and colour stamps represents the difference in times and ages, since printed materials become yellowish as time passes.
She hoped her piece would inspire the audience to reflect on the “empty nest elderly” phenomenon since many people leave their hometowns to pursue a better life elsewhere, leaving their parents at home to support one another.
But nothing can replace time spent with family, Liu said: “I wish that people can take care of the mental needs of their parents while they develop their own family and career.”
Meanwhile, Donald Wong Yuk-lam from Chan Shu Kui Memorial School placed second in the Digital Graphics category with his work Unsung Heroes.
Donald said the piece was inspired by a line from Spider-Man, “Everyone can become Spider-Man”. For him, it reflects how “every tiny action or simple expression can become part of a spider web that connects and affects others.”
By depicting signs using blue, pink, and yellow, Donald hopes to give the audience a taste of Hong Kong culture.
“Life impacts life. I wish this spirit can connect everyone and extend to every corner of communities,” said the 18-year-old artist. “I want the audience to reflect upon their lives and remember those who help others unconditionally.”
The winning pieces will be on display at Harbour City in Tsim Sha Tsui from September 5 to September 18.