Art of the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

[7] According to the Japan Times, "the legions of tech-savvy youngsters never miss an opportunity to invent new chants, memes, banners and slogans that often turn the criticism against the movement on its head".

The latter phrase is derogatory because the word "hai" is one of "the five great Cantonese profanities" but the protesters embraced the term with pride then turned them into WhatsApp stickers and printed them on T-shirts and banners.

[9] The Hong Kong protesters have created a variety of slogans to raise awareness and express their solidarity; these were chanted during mass marches and from their apartments at 10:00 pm as part of the "Million Scream" campaign.

It begins: "Tear gas rounds describe a graceful arc as they drop down out of the blue sky, trailing feathery tails of smoke like streamers".

[31] Ideas for their designs were crowdsourced using the forum LIHKG, where users vote for the best for wide distribution, typically via Lennon Walls erected throughout the city, Telegram's channels and Apple's AirDrop features.

For instance, arts inspired by Neon Genesis Evangelion became popular among the artists as it revolves around idealistic teenagers who rise up to challenge adults who are perceived to be corrupt, echoing the situation in Hong Kong.

One Piece's emphasis on unity also made it an inspiration when the artists were creating posters to urge citizens to stay united and not to sever ties with the more radical protesters.

TV producer Peter Tsi added that Japanese pop culture had a profound influence on youths who were born following the handover of Hong Kong.

According to him "(Genres depicting) heroes and heroines defeating evil totalitarian regimes and rulers, despite insurmountable odds, appear to be particularly motivating among the younger generation of Hong Kongers on the frontline of the resistance movement."

Hell money and joss papers imprinted with key government officials' faces were also created and burned as the protesters followed the traditions of the Hungry Ghost Festival.

[47] Hundreds of portraits of key government supporters and officials were plastered on the ground on footbridges and underpasses, allowing pedestrians to step on them as a way to vent their anger.

One of the initiators, Giraffe Leung added that the repair work was a "half-hearted" effort and that "the government is cleaning up are only on the surface, they have little intention to solve the underlying issues".

[60] Graffiti is considered as uncivil disobedience, but a method of communication to express dismay which is restricted verbally under the Hong Kong National Security Law.

Commentators consider graffiti walls as uncivil disobedience and questions whether such a method is justified in seeking the government's response to the Anti-Extradition Law Bill.

The statue is clothed in a yellow helmet, eye mask, and respirator; its right hand holds an umbrella and the left a flag that reads, "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times".

[citation needed] Some protesters waved the flag of the United States[72] in support of the prospective introduction of the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, a bill proposed by the US Congress.

[86] American journalist and political commentator Nicholas Kristof mentioned graffiti in Hong Kong using the 'Chinazi' label to denounce the influence of the Chinese government, he reported in The New York Times.

[88]In a manner similar to what happened during the Umbrella Revolution, activists scaled the Lion Rock, an iconic natural landmark overlooking Kowloon that carries with it Hong Kong's special identity and displayed massive vertical protest banners.

During the Hong Kong Way human chain campaign and the Mid-autumn festival period, hikers and trail runners scaled Lion Rock and shone lights at the city using cellphone flashlights and laser pointers.

In addition to common surgical masks, protesters wore masks depicting Chief Executive Carrie Lam, China's Paramount leader Xi Jinping, and cartoon characters such as Pepe the Frog and Winnie the Pooh, which was banned in China after internet users compared Xi's likeness with Disney's depiction of A.A. Milne's character.

[103] For a march on Human Rights Day, 8 December 2019, a group of activists led by Simon Lau joined the crowds wearing colourful masks featuring Pepe, a pig, a and shiba inu.

It was remixed using a speech given by Maria Cordero at a pro-police rally, edited, rearranged and auto-tuned to bend her pitch to the song, with the lyrics replaced with anti-police rhetoric.

[115] A group of anonymous composers wrote the song "Glory to Hong Kong" (願榮光歸香港), which became a theme of the protest and was regarded as the city's unofficial national anthem by protestors.

The marching style and nature of the song and the rich orchestral background music emphasize the determinations of Hong Kongers to achieve democracy and wanting the government to respond to the 5 demands.

[127] On 11 June 2019, a group of Christians began to sing the four-line-verse and simple melody at the Central Government Complex as they held a public prayer meeting the night before the Legislative Council was scheduled to begin the second reading of the extradition bill.

Most city churches tend to avoid political involvement but many were worried about the effects of the extradition bill on Christians because mainland China has few religious freedom laws.

[133] The protests have inspired many of the 33 entries shortlisted for the 2020 Human Rights Art Prize, organised by the Hong Kong Justice Centre in a display at Goethe-Institute.

[135] A documentary produced by Sue Williams, Denise Ho: Becoming the Song is released on 1 July – the 23rd anniversary of Britain's handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997 – in solidarity with the protest.

[138] Ten Years is a dystopian speculative fiction anthology film which explores a possible future in Hong Kong in 2025 which sees the city's freedom and human rights being eroded by the Chinese government as it further exerts its influence.

[140] Under political pressure, a lot of artists resort to self-censorship and have made plans to leave the city so to restart art creation in countries where freedom of expression and criticism on government is allowed.