LONDON – For two decades, British artist Martin Lever took his inspiration from Asia and his adopted home of Hong Kong.
Lever, 54, who spent most of his life in Hong Kong before deciding to leave in 2022 in the wake of a sweeping national security law introduced by Beijing, specialised in landscapes, portraits and abstract works
But after years of non-political work, he says he has been compelled to try to “capture the situation in Hong Kong through my art”.
In an exhibition that his is aware risks him being banned from ever returning to the city he loves, he has used a playful pop art aesthetic to highlight what he says is the silencing of Hong Kong youth.
Taking inspiration from the late US graffiti artist Keith Haring, his collection shows figures with mouths zipped shut or covered with masks.
Key Hong Kong sights and locations are featured in the works…
