If you have been walking around in Hong Kong, then the gallery façade may look familiar. It has been boarded up to resemble the make-shift wooden and/or cardboard structures that form temporary shelters for the homeless in Kwun Tong Public Pier and elsewhere. Inside the gallery, you encounter a network of nest sculptures hanging from branches (Shelter), a floating installation of cardboard pillow sculptures (So.call Mobility), and feet on paper lining the walls (Cuddle). Each series of works refers to homelessness directly in some way.

Go Hung used weaver birds’ nests as a reference for ‘Shelter’. When one thinks of shelters in nature, nests are one of the most immediate that come to mind. Birds build nests as their home to build a family and rear their young in, as well as provide safety against the elements and predators. There are many examples of animals in nature building or finding their own homes. There is a homing instinct, a near-universal instinct across vastly different species that seeks for a home which provides if not a sense of belonging, then at least shelter, safety, and security. Yet why is it so difficult for us humans? There are various man-made obstacles blocking us from fulfilling that natural instinct of obtaining a home. In this city, it could be the exorbitant property prices, lack of public housing, and economic impact from recent setbacks (namely damage sustained from the coronavirus pandemic) that demolish an individual’s ability for self-sustenance. If you look closely at the nests, you will see that the shredded vinyl references the many property ads you see posted around the streets of Hong Kong. The different colours, shapes, and sizes of the nest sculptures also refer to the various types of properties one can find in Hong Kong. These are all available ‘empty’ potential homes that are still unclaimed, a distant, nigh unattainable dream to many. A statistical analysis by the Welfare Services of Hong Kong in 2022 notes that the number of registered street sleepers had risen to 1,580 (2020-2021), an approximately 76% rise compared to 896 from 5 years ago (2015 – 2016). The number of services and beds cannot keep up with this soaring demand. The fourteen ‘Shelters’ hanging around the gallery correspond to the total number of temporary shelters recognized by the government for the homeless. These ‘Shelters’ both refer to those temporary homes and the dreams of obtaining a home.

‘So.call Mobility’ (a pun on social mobility) is made up of 180 floating cardboard pillow sculptures that are staggered in 6 layers. The number 180 directly refers to the maximum number of days a street sleeper can stay at the temporary shelters, which is approximately 6 months, before being expected to move out, become somewhat self-sufficient and find their own accommodation. Due to the exorbitant rent in Hong Kong, even for the notorious ‘cage’ homes, most street sleepers are unable to find a home within 6 months and end up back on the streets. The distance between each of the 6 layers varies, the closer the layer is to the top, the greater the gap is between layers, reflecting the increasing lack of social mobility and the widening gulf between the rich and poor in our current society. Go Hung has often used cardboard in his practice, partially due to its malleable, sculpt-friendly characteristics, but also due to the various connotations associated with the material. In this case, it references cardboard as a material the homeless often use for bedding or building temporary structures. The pillow is also a key element for a good night’s sleep. A lot of street sleepers use their belongings as pillows, stuffing everything into a bag and using it as a pillow, for example, in fear of their belongings being stolen. They sleep paranoid, fearfully in fits and starts, exposed to the elements and human danger, or chased away, often needing to relocate several times within a single night. A pillow, a good night’s sleep is a symbol for a home and security, a luxury out of reach or a luxury ticking away in a 180-day countdown.

‘Cuddle’ is a series of feet painted in cement on paper. Each depicts a pair of feet facing the viewer as if the owner of the feet is lying down. To Go Hung, a pair of feet is the symbol of being rooted, the part of your body that is the most closely connected to the ground. You often see some homeless sleep barefoot. Lacking a home, the homeless often wander around to find a spot for temporary rest. As they are often on their feet, ironically the homeless are the most connected to the ground but are unable to put down their roots and have the least sense of belonging. There is a sort of duality in these works, the positioning of the feet may look intimate, like someone cuddling (as the title ‘Cuddle’ implies), but also refers to the bare feet of sleeping homeless you may see around you. There is only one pair of feet, hinting at the loneliness and isolation the homeless feel, as they are excluded from society and intimacy. Alongside a home, they lose their sense of belonging.

There is a Chinese idiom 安居樂業 (on1 geoi1 lok6 jip6) which roughly means you can live at home in peace and comfort and work happily. Go Hung believes it is true. Only after you have a home, can you have a chance at finding fulfilling work. Go Hung’s fear of becoming homeless is actually not as far from you as you think. Anyone could become the next homeless person.

針唔拮到肉唔知痛 (zam1 m4 gat1 dou3 juk6 m4 zi1 tung3).

You will never understand the pain of being homeless until you’ve experienced it, but we could try to imagine it and sympathize with them a bit more.