HKFP Lens: Hong Kong artist sells Covid-19 quarantine art to help the homeless

Hong Kong artist Martin Lever has launched a fundraiser to help the city’s homeless community by selling artwork he created during his compulsory Covid-19 quarantine in October last year.

ImpactHK quarantine art — By: Martin Lever.

The prints form the “The Room 202 Project” collection, a name derived from the hotel room in which Lever spent quarantine. Part pseudo-psychology experiment, part charity art project, the pieces capture his changing lockdown moods by depicting exactly the same view from his hotel room at two different times of the day.

The artist – who has lived in Hong Kong on and off for almost four decades – said the 14 days he spent in quarantine gave him heightened empathy for the homeless. “Deprived of the liberty to return home, my empathy for those less fortunate in society who have no home to go to was suddenly amplified,” Lever wrote in his introduction to the project.

The 28 paintings in the collection show differing views of what Lever described as a stunning Hong Kong jungle hillside.

“This view was my muse for 14 days,” he said.

Lever said he used chalk pastels, inks and acrylics in his paintings. He had to work quickly to capture the swift change in emotions, he said.

“I then digitised each work and continued to manipulate with art software until it had effectively captured the specific moment in time.”

The prints for sale are marked at US$250. The artist also offers larger formats upon request.

The proceeds from the sales of his limited edition prints from the “Room 202 Project” will go to directly ImpactHK, a charity that aims to get homeless people “off the streets” by helping them settle into employment and find a home.

To buy the prints, visit his website.