Opening of 480.0 Gender and Art Space

Celebrating 20th anniversary and International Women’s Day today, Association Concerning Sexual Violence Against Women (ACSVAW) proudly introduces the first and ever 480.0 Gender & Art Space (480.0). 480.0 will pioneer in promoting gender equity and anti-sexual violence through the power of arts.

ACSVAW is glad to open 480.0 with the first exhibition named Bystander today. We are glad to welcome Ms. Winnie Young, ambassador of Women Helping Women Hong Kong (WHWHK), Mr. Clifford A. Hart, former US Consul-General to Hong Kong and Macau, Director Mo Lai, Dr. Phoebe Man and six contributing local artists, including Mandycat, Kongkee, Sam Fung, Tony Electronic, Hello Wong and Brian Wu to our opening ceremony.

Ms. Linda Wong, Executive Director of ACSVAW, appreciated the partnership and generous support of Women Helping Women Hong Kong (WHWHK) in the ceremony, and said that choosing this day to open 480.0 is to show the determination in fighting sexual violence and the support to sexual abuse survivors. ACSVAW believes that with the strength joined by WHWHK and other sectors in the society, we are stronger to fight for a safer and friendlier public space for women and girls, and to stop sexual violence from happening.

480.0 is the homonym of “where does sexual violence come from” in Cantonese. ACSVAW and WHWHK hope to use this space to address sexual violence and gender issue. Through art works, we hope to raise awareness of people recognizing their roles and their voices matter in stopping sexual violence. On the reason of using Bystander as the first theme, Wong quoted the mini-research conducted by ACSVAW in February 2017 to investigate how people react if they witness sexual violence: 40% of the response said that they have witnessed sexual violence, and 70% did hear from people they know who have experienced sexual violence, including rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment and under-the-skirt photography. However, over half of the respondents did not offer any help. The reasons mainly are: they do not know if that is a sexual violence case, they are afraid making the victim embarrassed, and they do not know what and how they can help. Bystander is featuring 6 local artists and survivors of sexual violence, and will open from today, on view until May 20th. 480.0 has organized a series of activities, including screenings, sharing sessions and workshops, to address the issue of bystanders. (Please refer to attachment)

Mandycat described her experience collaborating with survivors of sexual violence as “unforgettable”. She said the collaboration has shown their creativity and hope to address the issue of sexual violence through the art work. A word or a glance can hurt or help women from suffering of sexual violence.

To know more about 480.0 Gender & Art Space, please go to www.480dim0.com. You may also find us on Instagram with hashtag #ACSVAW #480dim0.