Representation of the Hong Kong social issue: sexual assault in contemporary art practice

Sexual assault is both a serious and also unfortunately, a common crime in Hong Kong, with incidents increasing over the years since 2001. In 2001, 1,102 cases of sexual assault were reported; the figure rose to 1,560 cases in 2010, implying an aggregate increase of 42% over 10 years. However, these figures only show the tip of the iceberg. According to statistics collected by RainLily Hotline, only 11.1% of victims reported their cases to the police in 2000 (Ng, RainLily 26). This project takes into account this social issue and investigates the phenomenon of sexual assault in Hong Kong, to find out the causes of why this crime is under-reported and what myths may surround it. Influential works of artists, Sue Williams, Nancy Spero, Ana
Mendieta, Yoko Ono and Po Shan Leung will be discussed.

In this studio based project, I produced a series of paper cutouts, animation and installations that deal with myths about sexual assault, in order to investigate the nature of this crime and to discuss its unspeakable aspects. Different possibilities of using paper were explored with the aim of revealing the undercurrents of this issue. It is my intention that this new series of work will generate discussion on the issue of sexual assault.