Renowned Hong Kong political cartoonist Kee-kwan Wong, better known by his pen name, Zunzi (尊子), will run a solo show at York University in November.
Zunzi creating art
Zunzi has specially chosen works for Hong Kong. Now What? !! – Civil Movements through a Cartoonist’s Eyes that span his nearly 40-year career and capture a history of political changes and civil movements in Hong Kong and the People’s Republic of China (PRC), said Wendy S. Wong, a professor in the Department of Design (School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design) who organized the show.
The cartoons on display include some of Zunzi’s latest works on the ongoing youth-led Hong Kong protests that broke out on June 9, triggered by the anti-extradition amendment bill to the PRC.
The show, which was launched on Nov. 1, runs until Nov.17 in the fourth-floor corridor, Department of Design, Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Building.
Zunzi (尊子) began his political cartoonist career in 1983 for the intellectually-positioned newspaper Ming Pao.
Artwork on display by Zunzi
“His cartoons are worth a thousand words as precise reflections of public opinions and social critiques that reflect the political history of Hong Kong,” said Wong. “After Hong Kong returned to the People’s Republic of China on July 1, 1997, media freedom has steadily deteriorated and political cartoon platforms are diminishing, leaving Zunzi as the sole voice from his generation who survives in the field now in Hong Kong.”
Through this show, the organizers hope to inform the audience about the history of the civic movement in Hong Kong through Zunzi’s eyes as a political cartoonist and to increase our understanding of the global impacts of the ongoing Hong Kong protests.
Zunzi will speak about his work at a day-long event on Nov. 8, “From the 2019 Hong Kong Protests to the World’s Tomorrow: The Power of Disobedience, Discourse, and Creative Dissent.” The forum also includes a keynote on the social movement in Hong Kong and a panel of scholars and community members who will explore implications for the international discourse and praxis of decolonization, human rights and democracy, as well as the support that the Hong Kong diaspora can offer at this movement for the future.
Lynette Ong (University of Toronto) will address the social movement in Hong Kong triggered by the highly unpopular extradition bill in her talk at 1 p.m., followed by the panel “Hong Kong’s Defiant Movement and Beyond” at 3 p.m. Zunzi’s talk will follow at 6 p.m. in Room 0006, Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Building. All other events will take place in Room 306, Accolade West Building.
For more information, visit the event listing or the Facebook event page.