Some Thoughts on “Hong Kong Artist Union”

The subject of artistic labor in Hong Kong has been receiving much attention from a good many arts practitioners and scholars in recent years. On the one hand, academic research on the conditions of cultural and creative labor is becoming more established; on the other hand, a lot of art practitioners begin to consciously publicize their individual labor experiences and even take further actions to develop a sense of collectiveness amongst themselves so as to look straight into the issue of artistic labor. Whilst the three basic labor rights, namely the rights to unionize, to bargain and to dispute, are embodied in the formation of collectiveness, organizing trade unions is precisely one way to achieve this end. In 2016, a group of local artists gathered to propose and prepare for the founding of “Hong Kong Artist Union,” which provided us with the opportunity to reflect on the actual working conditions and identities of local artists. Originating in Britain during the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century, trade unions were considered illegal then and it was not until the mid-19th century that they started to gain legal status in different parts of the world. Now, back in Hong Kong in 2016, “Hong Kong Artist Union” was founded via the online advocacy of a group of artists. Having spread across different times, races and professions, the history of trade unions no doubt demonstrates the complexity of the development of the political economy of labor, and proves that as times goes on and the form of labor evolves, the ideas and tactics revolving around the fight for labor rights also keep on changing. Through tracing the establishment of “Hong Kong Artist Union” and drawing on the subsequent discussions, this essay will examine a few issues in relation to artistic labor, Such as namely the individual enterprise model for artistic laborers, the individuality and collectivity of artistic labor, and the connection amongst laborers in artistic work.