Cigarette VI

Hugh Leung

Series: CigaretteThe Cigarette series is a provocative exploration of the politics of taxation. Throughtransferring cigarettes onto canvas, Leung invites his viewers to consider the tensionsbetween the government’s efforts to reduce smoking while concurrently relying onrevenues generated from tobacco taxes. By transforming the contents of cigarettes into artworks that are inspired by the designs of boxes of certain cigarette brands, Leung invites us to question whether these paintings can be considered a ‘dutiable commodity’ in a free-trade city, Hong Kong.