An Italian artist has donated two of his paintings drawn during the pro-democracy Occupy protest last year to the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
The two paintings by Francesco Lietti, named ‘Colours Of CWB’ and ‘Colours Of MK’ will be permanently displayed at the university’s Central Library. The titles are short form for Causeway Bay and Mong Kok, two of the main sites of the Occupy protest, where Lietti spent some time.
“I feel honoured to have the opportunity to give back to the community and donate these pieces to the students who proved so brave and inspiring during the Occupy days,” Lietti said on Facebook, “We love Hong Kong.”
The paintings were part of ‘The Voice Of The Street’ project that he started last October during the protest.
He invited the public to join him in painting scenes of Occupy sites “to show support for Hong Kong.”
On the Facebook event page, he said that he would donate the finalised piece “either to raise money to help support the movement or simply as a memory of the touching events currently taking place in our city.”
After the donation, he thanked all the people and students who participated in painting them, and Professor Oscar Ho Hing-kay and Deputy University Librarian Maria Lau for making it possible.
In February, Lietti’s Occupy paintings were also exhibited at Lingnan University.
Lietti has been living in Hong Kong since 2006.
