You can read the original Traditional Chinese version of this interview HERE.

Vawongsir is a Hong Kong-born visual artist and former visual arts teacher, best known for his political comics.

During the 2019-2020 Hong Kong protests, he was famous for capturing the protest scenes and collective emotions of Hongkongers with his artwork. But his passion for art and social affairs was what the Education Bureau would suppress, by accusing him of “professional misconduct” and putting pressure on the schools that employed him. Under mounting pressure and the increasing legal risk of the National Security Law, he resigned from his teaching position and went into self-exile in Taiwan.

His work has since been featured internationally, including in Green Bean Media (UK) and Flow HK (Taiwan), with exhibitions held in Hong Kong, Dublin, London, Sweden and Taiwan. In 2023, he was awarded first prize at the Hualien Art Exhibition in Taiwan for his piece Chopsticks+.

Translated Interview in English:

Visual Arts teacher uses comics to document police brutality, targeted by Hong Kong’s Education Bureau: “I still want to educate the next generation.”

When Hong Kong Visual Arts and Liberal Studies teacher Vawongsir[1] (pen name) decided to update his art portfolio at the beginning of 2019, his plan was to use it in his Master application and to share his work online. But as the citywide protests against the Extradition Law Amendment Bill (hereafter the Anti-ELAB protests) broke out in June 2019, the protests’ news footage and his personal experiences during this time inspired his artwork. While the art style of Vawongsir is simple in lines, the images he depicts are heavy-hearted and realistic — serving as both historical testimonies and a diary of the collective emotions of Hongkongers and his artworks resonated deeply with the readers and Hongkongers around the world. But his passion for art and social affairs became the very reason the Hong Kong government decided to go after him, eventually forcing him to leave the city where he grew up.

Two years of investigation by the Education Bureau ended his teaching career

In December 2019, the secondary school where Vawongsir taught Visual Arts and Liberal Studies received its first complaint letter from the Hong Kong Education Bureau. The letter stated that Vawongsir had created and published online artworks that smeared the government and the police. He was further accused of expressing political views in class. “The school principal spoke to me after receiving the complaint. I explained the situation, and the principal said he would respond to the Bureau on my behalf. At that time, I didn’t expect things to escalate.”

However following the first letter, the Education Bureau repeatedly contacted the school, urging them to handle the complaint and take disciplinary action against Vawongsir. In June 2020, after Hong Kong National Security Law came into effect, he was informed that his contract would not be renewed — the first time this had happened since he became a teaching professional in 2015. Vawongsir understood that the school had put considerable effort and time into dealing with the complaints against him, and thus, he respected their decision not to renew the contract with him.

When he was dealing with the complaints and after leaving his teaching role, he had tried to seek assistance from the Hong Kong Professional Teachers’ Union (now disbanded), but the Education Bureau began sending letters directly to him, stating that investigations were still ongoing. Fortunately, before the new school year began, he was employed by another secondary school. “The school shared similar values with mine. So even though I told them I was under investigation by the Education Bureau, they still hired me to teach Liberal Studies. I was truly grateful.”

Shortly after the school year began, the new school again received complaints against Vawongsir. He knew the themes of his artistic creation might be politically sensitive and can risk touching the “red line” set by the Hong Kong government. After nearly a year and a half of investigation by the Education Bureau, the authority ultimately reached the verdict that the complaint against him on “professional misconduct” stood. “I felt deeply aggrieved, but I wasn’t surprised,” he said.

Vawongsir stressed that he had fulfilled his duties as a teacher and objected to all the accusations. “As a teacher, I have never expressed my political stance in class. I only explained to my students incidents that had actually happened. Stopping a Liberal Studies teacher from discussing current affairs is basically impossible. The artworks I created during my personal time reflect my opinions and perspectives. They are not insulting any party, nor fabricating the truth.”

He believes that the Education Bureau simply wants teachers to “sing praises of Hong Kong”, and he is not one of them. After a tug of war with the authority for over a year, he said the pressure became unbearable. “I realised my emotional state at the time wasn’t suitable for teaching, and I didn’t want to bring any trouble to the school.” This time, he chose to resign voluntarily.

Art rooted in life – Police brutality stirred deep emotions

Looking back at 2019, the Anti-ELAB protests changed Hong Kong’s fate and altered the lives of many. It all started with Vawongsir building his art portfolio to apply for a Master programme. Bound by his daytime job, he could only draw digitally with his computer and mouse. For him, “art comes from life”. It is natural to get inspiration from social issues. He paid attention to everything from social to political affairs, including the widely criticised white elephant projects of Kwu Tung North New Development Area and the West Kowloon High-Speed Rail station.

When the Anti-ELAB protests broke out in 2019, news footage naturally became a major source of his artistic inspiration. “The news footage was shocking — how the police cracked down on young protesters. My drawings were basically exact depictions of what I saw, just rendered in a different style and with my own feelings at that moment.” In one of his illustrations, a fully armed police officer pinned down a defenseless protester to the ground with shield and kneeled on him. “I used my mouse to record these scenes — raw and ugly portrayals of those in power. My mouse seems to be my only weapon.”

During the protests, independent and online media outlets mushroomed in Hong Kong, reporting non-stop and livestreaming protest scenes from across districts. When arrested, many protesters would shout out their full names in front of the cameras so that pro bono social workers and lawyers could help follow up their cases. These moments were captured and uploaded online.

From July 2019 onwards, as the protests intensified, Vawongsir began to worry about his students who were away on summer break. “I would ‘loop’ the news every night. Many people shared video clips of (young protesters) being arrested, and voices behind the cameras would ask their full names and which schools they were from. I was so worried that I may hear one of my students’ names in the next video. What would I do if that happened?” One of his two-panel comics depicted a boy watching protest footage with his phone, lying on the bed sleepless. In the next panel, he was covering his face, crying. “That boy,” he said, “is me.”

Political suppression changed his life, forced him to leave Hong Kong

There are generally two types of teachers — those who are authoritative and stern, and those who are approachable and act as both mentors and friends. Vawongsir was undoubtedly the latter. “Students would often talk to me and share their lives and studies after class. The atmosphere in the classroom was relaxed. Students loved to discuss with each other, and their academic performances were satisfactory. I believe I met the standards expected of a teacher.” He said both the head of his department and the principal affirmed his integrity and capability to teach. However, the Hong Kong government clearly did not want him to stay in the education sector. “The Education Bureau handed down its judgment on me with a single paper, saying I’m an “unqualified teacher”. That’s completely unacceptable.”

After leaving the classroom, he tried to change his career path by joining art exhibitions and publishing illustrated books. But he also experienced increasing self-censorship among Hong Kong people and political snitching after the National Security Law was passed. “I wanted to hold an exhibition, but the venue received complaints. I collaborated with Mr. Yeung Tsz-chun2 and his publishing house, Hillway Culture, to publish a book. When we participated in the Hong Kong Book Fair, again, there were complaints. It was political pressure. The next year, I tried to organise an independent book fair, but the venue owner refused our booking at the very last minute.” He realised the government’s oppression was closing in, so in May 2022, he finally made the difficult decision to leave for Taiwan in self-exile.

Vawongsir said after the National Security Law came into force and more unreasonable things have happened, the space for artistic expression in Hong Kong will inevitably shrink. “I believe that artists who continue to struggle in Hong Kong will find their ways forward. Artworks born under oppression can show how much Hong Kong has changed.” His case is just an insignificant example, he said. There are many more who are suffering injustice, and many more absurd things continue to happen.

Despite the government’s oppression, Vawongsir still continues to pursue his passion in art and current affairs. Before he left Hong Kong, he illustrated for a children book based on George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” , hoping to show the kids how the Hong Kong society has changed since 2019. After moving to Taiwan, he is working on a new creative project “Chopsticks+”, in which he visits dozens of Taiwanese families who are happy to sit down and have a meal with him. In return, he shares his artwork with the host family. In the process, he gets to understand how Taiwanese feel about migrants from Hong Kong and exchange their views on daily life and politics. “I still want to educate the next generation.” he said resolutely.

Drawing political cartoons is his only weapon against injustice, but it is also a manifestation of his love for society and the place he lives. He said he will keep drawing and teaching, but just in a different place.

Notes:

[1]: Vawongsir stands for “A Visual Arts teacher whose surname is Wong”.

[2]: A former secondary school teacher, who was shot in the eye by the police during the protest on 12 June 2019. Yeung was later found guilty of unlawful assembly and sentenced to nine months in prison.

Original Interview in Traditional Chinese:

通識科老師用漫畫紀錄警暴 遭教育局趕盡殺絕

Vawongsir：「我仍然想教育下一代。」

通識科老師「Vawongsir」，2019年年初決定重建自己的作品集，以便繼續進修，同時以網名「Vawongsir」分享作品。同年6月，「反修例」一連串示威開始，他的繪畫靈感逐漸受當時的新聞畫面及個人感受影響。他的作品畫風線條簡單，卻描繪著沉重而寫實的畫面；既是歷史的見證，亦是香港人的情緒日記，因此引起讀者共鳴。他喜歡畫畫，也喜歡留意社會大小事，他的熱情和投入卻成為港府對他趕盡殺絕的主要原因，不得不離開孕育他成長的地方。

教育局指控專業失當 審查近兩年教席不保

2019年12月，他任教的中學初次收到教育局發出的投訴信，局方表示接獲舉報指他製作抹黑港府及警察的作品，並將作品於網上發佈，更一度指控他專業失當，在課堂上表達政見。「校長接到投訴後向我了解，我解釋後校長說會替我回覆局方，當時其實未有想到事情會愈演愈烈。」其後教育局多次以書信與學校聯絡，要求校方處理有關投訴及處分Vawongsir 。2020年6月，《港區國安法》生效，他在該學期完結前被告知不獲續約，是他自2015年投身教育界以來，首次不獲校方續約。

Vawongsir知道，學校為了應付針對自己的投訴，花了不少人力資源及時間，因此他理解校方的決定。他離職後曾經嘗試向香港教育專業人員協會（教協，現已解散）求助，局方即改為直接去信給他，指調查仍然進行中。幸運地，在2020新學年開始前，他順利在另一間中學重獲教席，「該學校與自己的理念相近，我也有告知學校自己正受教育局調查中，但學校仍然願意聘請我任教視藝及通識科，我當時很感恩。」

開學後不久，新學校再次收到教育局針對Vawongsir的投訴。他明白自己的作品題材敏感或觸及「紅線」，教育局調查近一年半後，最終裁定Vawongsir專業失當。「當下感到很不甘心，但並不意外，」

Vawongsir強調自己克盡己任，對各種指控均不能接受，「作為老師，我在課堂上從來沒有向學生表達過自己的政見，我只是將現實發生過的事一一向學生闡述，如果要阻止通識科老師提及時事，基本上是不可能的；我在工餘時間創作自己的作品，呈現自己的意見和角度，內容並非侮辱性，亦沒有捏造事實。

他認為，教育局需要的是會「唱好香港」的老師，而自己不是一個合適的對象。與教育局的拉鋸戰持續近一年半，他指自己當時承受巨大壓力，「亦知道自己當時情緒未必適合教育學生，更加不希望連累學校。」這一次，他決定自願離職。

創作源於生活 警暴畫面觸動情緒

回望2019年，「反修例運動」改變了香港的命途，也改變了很多人的人生軌跡。Vawongsir當時正籌備報讀碩士課程，希望有助自己的事業發展，故開始建立自己的作品集，但礙於平日工作，他只能夠在電腦前用滑鼠繪畫。他認為「藝術源於生活」，從社會議題中取材是最自然不過的事。香港的民生及政治議題、大白象工程等，由古洞北到西九高鐵站，他都有留意。

「反修例運動」爆發後，新聞畫面自然成為了他的創作靈感，「新聞畫面好震撼，警察如何對付年輕示威者，畫出來的基本上是完全參照我所看到的，只是用另一種風格呈現，同時亦想將自己的感受紀錄下來。」由他創作的其中一幅插畫，一名警員在地鐵站閘外持警棍制服示威者，示威者手無寸鐵倒臥在地，頭部流血。「我用滑鼠紀錄了這些畫面，赤裸裸的將當權者的醜態畫下來，滑鼠彷彿是我唯一武器。」

「反修例運動」期間，多家網媒及獨立傳媒冒起，日夜無間斷地報道，網上直播著各區的抗爭情況。不少示威者在被捕時，會大聲讀出自己全名，以便義務社工及律師提供協助，畫面全都被攝影機記錄並上載到網絡。2019年7月起，示威愈演愈烈，Vawongsir最擔心的是剛放暑假的學生，「當時每一晚都不斷Loop（重複播放）新聞，很多人在網上分享示威者被捕片段，有人在鏡頭後詢問示威者的中文全名及所屬學校，當時我非常擔心，深怕下一則片段會聽到自己學生的名字，如果出事應如何處理？」其中一幅兩格插畫，一格描繪男生深夜在床上用電話看新聞，下一格已見男生掩面哭泣。他說，插畫中的男生是自己。

政治打壓成人生轉捩點 無奈離港

老師大致可分為兩種，一種是權威派，令學生心感畏懼；另一種較貼地，能與學生亦師亦友，Vawongsir絕對是後者。「學生經常與我交談，課後都會與我分享生活或學習的大小事；課堂間氣氛輕鬆，學生喜愛討論，成績也不俗。我認為自己作為老師，很多方面都達標。」他形容，學校的科主任和校長均對他的操守及能力持正面評價，但港府卻不希望自己在教育界有立足之地，教育局單憑一封信件斷定我是「不合格的老師」，這絕對不能接受。

離開校園後，他曾嘗試參加畫展及出版畫集改變事業軌道，但同時體會到港人的自我審查及「篤灰」情況已受《國安法》及政治打壓日趨嚴重。「想辦畫展，但展覽場地被人投訴；當時與楊子俊老師的山道出版社合作出書，到書展擺檔又被人投訴，是政治壓力，第二年想舉辦獨立書展，書展場地的業主在最 後一刻卻拒絕出租場地。」 他知道政府的打壓逐漸逼近，2022年5月，他決定離港流亡台灣。

Vawongsir認為，《國安法》實施後，眼見愈來愈多不合理的事情發生，香港的藝術創作空間收窄是必然的，「能夠在香港仍然掙扎求存的藝術創作者，我相信他們一定會找到各自的出路，受壓迫而創作的作品亦可以展現現時的香港與從前的差異。」他強調自己只是個微不足道的例子，更多含冤受屈的，更多不合理的事仍在上演。

即使面對港府打壓，仍然無阻Vawongsir繼續做自己熱愛的事。他離港前參與創作兒童文學《動物農莊（港豬版）》，透過插畫向兒童展示香港自2019年發生的社會變化；其後又在台灣創作了《加多雙筷》，走訪數十個台灣人的家做客，以畫換餐，窺探台灣人對香港人的態度，交流生活與政治看法。「我仍然想教育下一代。」他堅定地說，創作政治漫畫是他對抗社會不公的唯一武器，亦是關心社會及愛一個地方的表現。他堅持畫畫，堅持參與教育，只是換個地方再繼續。