During this project, I entered ten nonprofit organizations (浪人食堂, 逆風劇團, 香香澡堂, 重修舊好, 友洗社創, 五角拌, 社區實踐, 酒與妹仔的日常, 新巨輪, 一碼) and painted portraits of their beneficiaries. Over the course of creating 34 paintings, I sat face-to-face with them, canvas and paints in hand, looking directly into their eyes, listening to their stories, exchanging time and presence—my soul for theirs. Many of them began to cry in silence, and I cried with them, again and again. Just looking, just listening—why did it feel so overwhelming? Why did these tears come so naturally?

Many of those I painted were going through some of the most difficult periods of their lives, yet they persisted, resisting, carving out paths for themselves in a rigid and polished society. Some may see these cracks as imperfections that disrupt the seamless image of the social order. But I see them as the city’s most beautiful patterns—like a lens through which the purest essence of humanity shines through.

One former homeless man, who had been receiving job training at 友洗, shared:

“Living on the streets wasn’t all that bad, actually. I knew where to get food, I knew where to shower, and lying on the street every day didn’t feel like a big deal. But… I felt like I didn’t exist. No one saw me, no one spoke to me. I was completely alone.”

Throughout this project, I made a conscious choice: to simply listen, to look, without interruption or judgment. In that shared space of artistic creation, across the surface of a canvas, we bore witness to each other’s struggles. In that fleeting moment, art dissolved all labels, allowing us to understand each other as equals—simply as human beings.

Through this project, I hope art can help us shed our preconceived labels. Using canvas and paint as a medium, I want to bring their gaze into the eyes of the world, allowing them to be truly seen, with honesty and equality. Even in suffering, there is light—and when we dare to look into the forgotten corners of our world, we let the light of humanity fall upon them once more.