No Rioters: Hong Kong megastore Sogo self-censors art with hidden ‘political content’

Patrick Amadon, whose work flashed up names from pro-democracy protests, says ‘it did have to get taken down, I feel like, to be a completed piece’

A Hong Kong department store took down a digital artwork that contained hidden references to jailed free-speech defenders, in an incident the artist says is evidence the of erosion of free speech by Chinese authorities.

Patrick Amadon’s No Rioters was put on display on a billboard at the huge Sogo Causeway Bay store as the city was promoting itself as a cultural hub following years of pandemic travel restrictions. Art Basel Hong Kong, a prominent art fair in Asia, began this week, alongside other art events.