A Hong Kong art installation featuring yellow raincoats and an umbrella will not be put back on display at a popular piazza where it was removed for restoration works last year, authorities have said, without explaining whether political considerations were behind the decision.
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One prominent art commentator said on Monday that the piece was unrelated to protest movements and such “unnecessary” moves did not look good to an overseas audience, given the city wanted to cement its role as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange.
Lining Up, a row of 10 cast bronze sculptures of everyday people by the late Taiwanese artist Ju Ming, had stood outside the Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui for years before the Leisure and Cultural Services Department began its maintenance work on the installation.
Two of the figures are dressed in yellow raincoats and a third carries an umbrella in the same colour.
In Hong Kong, the colour is associated with anti-government protesters.
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The department enclosed the sculptures with hoarding in April last year.