Embodied resistance: Hong Kong diaspora art in the UK

This paper examines how protest art and community art intersect as complementary strategies for articulating diasporic identity within the Hong Kong diaspora in the UK. While protest art, often defined by its bold visual icons related to the 2019 protests, serves as a direct expression of political resistance, community art fosters belonging through collaboration and relational aesthetics. This paper argues that both approaches employ affective, multisensory, and embodied experiences to cultivate ‘visceral citizenship’ – a framework that highlights the emotional and sensory dimensions of identity and belonging. Through case studies of Hong Kong Future Diaspora (2022), Four Quadrants of the Sky (2023), and Trees We’re Planting (2024), this study demonstrates how cross-media exhibitions construct a visceral cultural commons, deepening diasporic connections to heritage while resisting cultural erasure. These findings emphasize art’s enduring role as activism and a medium for negotiating identity, solidarity, and connection within diasporic contexts.