June 6 | “Good Country Good People” Talk Recap — From “I” to “Wo Dei”: Art as Human Rights Advocacy

On the evening of June 6, the Good Citizen Culture Action Association and the New School for Democracy Association co-hosted the talk “From ‘I’ to ‘Wo Dei’: Art as Human Rights Advocacy” at Tacit Café in Taichung, inviting performance artist Loretta Lau — founder of Wo Dei NGO DEI, who traveled from The Hague in the Netherlands — to share her creative journey, her experience in exile, and how she uses art to intervene in human rights advocacy.

From Hong Kong’s Anti-Extradition Law Movement to later using her own body as a medium for performance art, Loretta’s sharing showed us that art is not only expression — it can also be resistance, memory, and action. She also spoke about how, after founding “Wo Dei” in Europe, she has used exhibitions, public education, and international networking to keep Hong Kong’s issues and the broader human rights situation visible.

That evening’s talk also echoed the photo exhibition “Back to the Square: Us After June 4th” on the walls of Tacit Café. Images, the body, memory, and the experience of exile met in the same space, once again making us feel that safeguarding memory is itself a form of resistance.

Thanks to Loretta for her candid sharing, and to moderator Chairperson Lin Fang-ju and everyone who came to take part.

The photo exhibition “Back to the Square: Us After June 4th” continues at Tacit Café in Taichung through June 20 — everyone is welcome to visit.