Giant artwork featuring black and white portraits outside HK mall: Why it's drawing mixed response on social

The recent public art installation displaying hundreds of black-and-white portraits of HongKongers outside of Harbour City has created a buzz across social platforms.

Created by French artist JR, the giant artwork titled “Inside Out: Harbour and the City” aims to encourage the discovery of people’s untold stories and issues around the globe. The enormous black-and-white Inside Out portrait design stems from JR’s artistic practice, which juxtaposes the real world with bright colours, according to the official release.

Available until 7 May, the two-week long project features 450 black-and-white portraits of people of all ages and genders, along with the added touch of iconic Inside Out polka dots, at Ocean Terminal Forecourt, the exterior wall of Ocean Centre, and Gateway Arcade entrances on Canton Road.  

Surprisingly, the artwork has drawn mixed reactions across social platforms. Social listening firm Meltwater saw a total of 45 mentions regarding the artwork over the past week, with 77.8% neutral, 20% positive and 2.2% negative sentiments. A check by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE on Facebook and LIHKG showed that some netizens said it resembles the black-and-white portraits commemorating victims of the 2019 unrest in the city.

During the event which MARKETING-INTERACTIVE was present for, only a few residents or tourists stopped by to check out the giant installation on 28 April.

While several members of the public MARKETING-INTERACTIVE spoke to said they can feel the happiness shown in the portraits, some worried that it might give off a not-so-good impression as black and white represents death and misfortune in Chinese culture. 

In fact, one tourist from Macau said he wasn’t sure of the messages behind the campaign; however, he said the artwork can be more colourful as black and white alludes to death and misfortune in Chinese culture. Meanwhile, a tourist from Ireland said every picture tells a story and she was amazed by the unique presentation of the artwork. At the same time, some locals said the mall can do better in terms of promoting the message and objective behind the artwork.

Unearthing of insights 

Addressing the confusion that consumers and viewers might have, Harbour City told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that this is not the first time JR has launched a community art project by displaying black-and-white portraits outdoors. 

“Six ‘Group Actions’ were initiated in Hong Kong before, with the first one in 2012. At the time, 16 large-scale black-and-white portraits of Hong Kong residents were pasted atop  a walkaway along Connaught Road in Central, allowing people working in high-rise buildings to appreciate art and encourage a dialogue between them and the figure in the portraits,” the mall stated.

The “Inside Out Project” has also travelled to many corners of the world since its establishment in 2011, attracting more than 480,000 participants from 149 countries in more than 2,300 “Group Actions”, some of which have taken place at renowned world landmarks such as the Pantheon in Paris, Tower Bridge in London and Times Square in New York, said the mall. 

As such, Harbour City hoped people could spend some time to learn about the objective behind the creative artwork.

It is rare to see large black-and-white portraits being displayed on the floor at a funeral...we hope to educate the public through earned media and social amplification. 

Furthermore, the initiative is supported by a star-studded line-up of celebrities and rising stars, including Jan Lamb, Ronald Cheng, Eric Kot, Vincent Kok, Anthony Wong, Yoyo Sham, Jason Chan, Alfred Hui, Cecilia So, Renci Yeung, amongst others, said the mall. 

The underlying meaning of black and white portraits

From a creative point of view, Kit Yu, creative director, Narrow Door said it's a meaningful project that connects people’s smiles all over the world. “It brings positive energy to the city. Hope people don’t focus on the black-and-white element. Black and white could be seen as artistic and timeless,” she added.

Apart from highlighting western and Chinese cultures through creativity, Desmond So, CEO, Uth Creative said one must also be mindful of the perspectives and sensitivities of the local community. “It's important to recognise that not every idea will be universally accepted, and organisers must make judgment calls accordingly,” he added. 

Another key to consider is whether the mall wants to maintain a local or international focus, he said.

Don't assume that people will feel good about a picture of their face being stepped on by pedestrians. I think most people would feel uncomfortable or awkward about it. 

The environment the artwork is being placed also contributes to its public impression. Nathan Hau, group creative director, Dentsu Creative Hong Kong, said: “Outside of this context, no matter how you look at it: people who see it as morbid are missing the point that this is meant to be a joyful art piece, but because it’s placed in a Chinese environment one can’t help but think this could’ve perhaps been nicer in colour.”

How to avoid a similar PR kerfuffle? 

On the PR front, Kate Kwan, general manager, TEAM LEWIS Hong Kong, stressed on the importance of understanding the potential audience. “Art is often controversial but not every exhibition sparks this level of discussion online. This appears to be a classic case of not doing the research into your potential audiences. An assessment of the location and likely footfall would have revealed that the mall is a very popular destination for tourists, particularly those from mainland China,” she added.

With Chinese culture being deeply rooted in the region, it is indeed hard to have everyone in the region to perceive the artwork in the same way. Kwan said that black and white portraits have long been used in Chinese funerals and a sense check with a local expert would have helped to flag this. “Working with an agency that understands the local landscape and offers consult on sensitive issues will help brands to avoid these issues in future,” she added.

Agreeing with her view was Jose Raymond, director of strategic advisory, Precious Communications, said he can understand why there will be some people interpreting the artwork as inauspicious.

What it does signal also is that societal values are shifting and there are some brands who are willing to push the boundaries, in the name of creativity.

While examining the intent behind any public displays for subtle signs of deliberate malice is necessary, people must not sacrifice Hong Kong’s reputation as an international art hub by initiating a witch hunt every time they see something suggestive, said David Ko, managing director of RFI Asia.

He added that monochrome photos as an expression of visual beauty enjoy a long history and there are countless world-famous black-and-white photographers from Ansel Adams to Herb Ritts who produce art of the highest order.

There is something else at play here: I think we are becoming overly hypersensitive to possible signs of a resurgence of the Hong Kong riots of 2019, sometimes to the detriment of Hong Kong’s global image.

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