Hong Kong sculpture with yellow raincoats won't return outside Cultural Centre
A Hong Kong art installation featuring yellow raincoats and an umbrella will not be put back on display at a popular piazza where it was removed for restoration works last year, authorities have said, without explaining whether political considerations were behind the decision.
One prominent art commentator said on Monday that the piece was unrelated to protest movements and such 'unnecessary' moves did not look good to an overseas audience, given the city wanted to cement its role as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange.
Lining Up , a row of 10 cast bronze sculptures of everyday people by the late Taiwanese artist Ju Ming, had stood outside the Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui for years before the Leisure and Cultural Services Department began its maintenance work on the installation.
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Two of the figures are dressed in yellow raincoats and a third carries an umbrella in the same colour.
In Hong Kong, the colour is associated with anti-government protesters.
The department enclosed the sculptures with hoarding in April last year.
A repeating photo of the work had been wrapped around the boards. But at some point in May last year, the department inserted grey panels covering each photo at the spot where they show the two sculptures in the line-up dressed in yellow raincoats.
While the work was completed far before the 2014 'umbrella movement' took shape, the figures wearing yellow raincoats took on an added significance for some after a demonstrator dressed in the attire – later dubbed the 'raincoat man' – fell to his death in Admiralty in the early days of the 2019 social unrest.
Protesters in both movements adopted the colour.
In a reply to the Post on Monday, the department confirmed that the work would not be reinstalled outside the centre.
'As the sculpture concerned had been on display at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza for many years since 2017, it would not be reinstalled in situ,' a spokeswoman of the department said.
She noted that the work had been removed earlier for restoration due to wear and tear. The repair works were now complete, with the installation currently under the department's care in storage.
The department did not say whether its latest decision was related to the yellow raincoats. It also did not give details on storage arrangements or whether keeping it out of public view would be a waste of resources.
The piazza currently displays two mascots – Xi Yang Yang and Le Rong Rong – for the 15th National Games, the 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities and the 9th National Special Olympic Games.
The Juming Museum in Taipei said the department owned the work, which is carved in Ju's recognisable minimalist style that earned him worldwide fame.
John Batten, a Hong Kong-based art critic, called the decision not to reinstall the work unnecessary and an overreaction given the piece was not political. He said the decision was not beneficial for the city's art image overseas.
'It's a much loved work by the public, a very interactive work in a prominent position also with mainlanders going to the area. No one sees that yellow raincoat colour as a political work,' Batten said.
'What happened in 2019 is still a strong feeling for everyone in Hong Kong, [but] we all sort of know the boundaries now. The piece was never part of the protest ... It's unnecessary.'
He said public speculation on the decision was unlikely to be the government's concern.
'I would ask that people, the art lovers in Hong Kong, be respected and the artwork is put back on display,' he said, adding that it could be exhibited at a different location.
The sculpture was also temporarily enclosed in 2021, sparking similar speculation among internet users. Authorities said at the time that it was closed for regular maintenance, and it later reopened for public display.
Ju's other works have been featured in major public spaces and galleries in Hong Kong and beyond. Sculptures from his Tai Chi series have also been on display at Exchange Square in Central as well as the Chinese University of Hong Kong for years.
His works regularly appear in auctions and can fetch millions. Single Whip, one of his bronze sculptures from the Tai Chi series, was sold for HK$20.8 million in October 2011 at Sotheby's.
The artist died in April 2023 aged 85, leaving behind a legacy of reframing elements of traditional Chinese culture for the modern era.
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