In Pictures: Hong Kong sex work exhibition explores violence and bodily autonomy in an underground industry

Boxes of condoms, AI-generated photos of sex workers, and a computer opened up to a part-time girlfriends website sit inside Heath, an event space in Tsim Sha Tsui. AI-generated posters of sex workers at A Body of One’s Own, an exhibition about sex work in Hong Kong, at Heath in Tsim Sha Tsui. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. The venue is perhaps a fitting one for A Body of One’s Own, an exhibition spotlighting the history of sex work in Hong Kong. Located in the basement of Chungking Mansions, it was once home to a string of nightclubs. The two-week exhibition is organised by three NGOs that support the city’s sex workers – Action for Reach Out, Teen’s Key, and Midnight Blue. A Body of One’s Own, an exhibition about sex work in Hong Kong, at Heath in Tsim Sha Tsui. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. Wong Ka-ying, an artist and writer who curated the showcase, said the exhibition aimed not only to show pride in sex work, but also to explore themes such as violence, choice, and bodily autonomy. “Sex work is [one of] the oldest industries in the world, with over 3,000 years of history, yet the stigma around it remains pervasive,” Wong said in Cantonese during a media preview last Friday. (From left to right) Exhibition curator Wong Ka-ying, executive director of Teen’s Key Megan Yik, executive director of Action for Reach Out Cherry Chui, and director of Midnight Blue Ngai Tak-kin. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. “But why, today, when human civilization has advanced so much, is our understanding and perspective on sex work still so narrow?” she said. “These are the questions we want to ask.” Wong will also lead exhibition tours this weekend, with English and Cantonese sessions available. A Body of One’s Own, an exhibition about sex work in Hong Kong, at Heath in Tsim Sha Tsui. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. As part of the media preview, the exhibition’s organisers invited four people with experience in the sex work industry to share their stories. An online sex workers’ directory at A Body of One’s Own, an exhibition about sex work in Hong Kong, at Heath in Tsim Sha Tsui. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. Daphne, who describes herself as a “professional domme,” said she first got into rope play in 2022. This is her full time job, she said, adding that she also teaches rope bondage. Her interest in BDSM was first sparked when she was studying fashion design. She said she was “obsessed” with latex, and later learned through online research that she was a dominant. Daphne, a sex worker, at A Body of One’s Own, an exhibition about sex work in Hong Kong, at Heath in Tsim Sha Tsui. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. She finds most of her clients through social media, where they send her a message. In return, she asks them what they are looking for, what their “hard limitations” are, and what their personal experience is. A Body of One’s Own, an exhibition about sex work in Hong Kong, at Heath in Tsim Sha Tsui. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. “I really like BDSM. I really enjoy the power exchange dynamic,” she said in Cantonese. “Some of my clients are very generous,” Daphne added. “They buy me a business class ticket or take me on overseas trips. They pay for everything.” A Body of One’s Own, an exhibition about sex work in Hong Kong, at Heath in Tsim Sha Tsui. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. Another woman, who asked to be called Captain, said she became a part-time girlfriend in 2017 when she was still a student because she had to help her family pay off a large debt. Scrawls reading “whore” and “STDs on the fourth floor” at A Body of One’s Own, an exhibition about sex work in Hong Kong, at Heath in Tsim Sha Tsui. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. “I heard that being a part-time girlfriend would allow me to make a lot of money quickly,” she said, adding that she created an Instagram account and searched the hashtag “part-time girlfriend.” Newspaper clippings about the Hong Kong Macau Sex Cultural Festival in 2008 at A Body of One’s Own, an exhibition about sex work in Hong Kong, at Heath in Tsim Sha Tsui. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. Now a single mother of two, she is still in the industry and works to pay off her family’s debt monthly. Unlike Daphne, she sees her work as purely for making money. She said she has had some unpleasant experiences, including being filmed in secret by a man and police raiding the spa she was working at. A Body of One’s Own, an exhibition about sex work in Hong Kong, at Heath in Tsim Sha Tsui. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. Asked how she protects herself, Captain said that when she meets clients, she checks in to hotel rooms with them together. “This way, I can make sure the client didn’t arrive first and install a camera,” she said. She said she does regular STD check-ups at Action for Reach Out. A Body of One’s Own, an exhibition about sex work in Hong Kong, at Heath in Tsim Sha Tsui. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. “Only my closest friends know that this is what I do,” she said. Running until September 27, the exhibition will also feature events including a life drawing session, sharings by sex workers, and a theatre workshop. A Body of One’s Own Address: The Garage @ Heath, Basement floor, 36-44 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong Date: September 12 to 27 Entry: Free Safeguard press freedom; keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team Support HKFP | Policies & Ethics | Error/typo? | Contact | Newsletter | Transparency & Annual Report | Apps Make a one-off donation. Hillary Leung is a journalist at Hong Kong Free Press, where she reports on local politics and social issues, and assists with editing. Since joining in late 2021, she has covered the Covid-19 pandemic, political court cases including the 47 democrats national security trial, and challenges faced by minority communities. Born and raised in Hong Kong, Hillary completed her undergraduate degree in journalism and sociology at the University of Hong Kong. She worked at TIME Magazine in 2019, where she wrote about Asia and overnight US news before turning her focus to the protests that began that summer. At Coconuts Hong Kong, she covered general news and wrote features, including about a Black Lives Matter march that drew controversy amid the local pro-democracy movement and two sisters who were born to a domestic worker and lived undocumented for 30 years in Hong Kong. More by Hillary Leung