Difficulty: Summiteer (Level 3)
A scarecrow is at the centre of an artwork created by Hong Kong’s cleaners. The sculpture is made of Doraemon toys, takeaway bowls and bent hangers collected from the city’s trash stations.
The workers chose to give the scarecrow a smiley face. They hoped this would reflect their belief that work should be enjoyable since they are proud of their jobs.
The scarecrow was part of “Gritty Realm”, an art exhibition in Sham Shui Po. It featured the work of about 30 cleaners who shared their stories through photography, videos and installations. They had previously joined expressive art therapy workshops.
“They all expressed the same message: [they want] respect and an end to discrimination,” said Liu Kwok-hong, the exhibition curator.
Stories of disrespect and triumph
Liu shared some of the stories he heard from the cleaners. One worker sweeps leaves in Repulse Bay.
He described how he once walked by someone who covered their nose in disgust.
Another cleaner is responsible for garbage disposal at a residential block. They mentioned how some residents carelessly toss out trash.
“The workers talked about how even brief interactions with residents make a difference. When residents show respect and handle their trash properly, it eases their burden,” said Liu, who specialises in community art.
The exhibition also had more than 20 workshops where cleaners led visitors through the displays.
One of these tour guides was Sun*. He is a cleaner who works with the Central and Western district’s pest and rodent control team. “As long as I’m able, I’m happy to help ... my goal is to serve the community,” shared Sun, who is in his late 60s.
Discover the untold tales
The exhibition showed a photography series called “Song of the Cleaners”.
To create the photo series, Liu visited the homes of each worker to understand their lives.
“When people see cleaners on the street, they often see them only ... cleaning streets or toilets. They don’t think about ... their life stories,” he said.
“By bringing these tools into their homes, I wanted to show that [this view] ... also influences how they perceive their own value.”
Liu hopes that people do not just think of cleaners for their work but as humans with their own stories. He hopes his exhibition can help with this.
Quiz time
Stop and think: They chose to give the scarecrow a smiling face because they wanted to show that their work is enjoyable and they are proud of what they do for a living. They also hope to encourage respect and end any discrimination based on their work.
Think about it: Liu wanted to humanise the street cleaners, showing the average Hong Kong resident that these cleaners have their own lives, goals, stories and value.
Consider: The cleaners mentioned that they have encountered people who treat them with disrespect because of their work. One cleaner also mentioned that people are too careless with throwing out their rubbish, which makes the cleaners’ jobs harder.
