Good Art in Bad Times

A few years ago, the Filipino author F. Sionil José told me that “Bad times produce good art.” I recently saw the truth in his words in the outpouring of creativity the Occupy movement  inspired in Hong Kong. Protesters chose to live on the streets in the hope of true democracy and the chance to elect their own leader, leaving behind comfortable beds in favor of hard tarmac. Yet in spite of the discomfort and the coming winter, they remained positive. One of the greatest sources of strength for them was the outpouring of spiritual and emotional support they received from the ever-changing art gallery in which they came to live. Usually sterile and functional thoroughfares were covered in chalk drawings; flyers, posters, and stickers were plastered over all available surfaces at protest sites; barricades built of metal barriers, crates, dustbins, and the occasional bus stop sign were adorned with open umbrellas.