Carry-On by Justin Wong

About

London-based comics artist and scholar Justin Wong bridges political satire, visual storytelling, and cultural research in his first U.S. exhibition, "Carry-On" by Justin Wong. The exhibition brings a message of hope and humor during a tumultuous year of change, with street-level intervention and new artworks. Wong began his career in 2007 as a political cartoonist and illustrator, gaining wide recognition for his long-running daily column Gei Gei Gaak Gaak in the Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao. In 2021, after being reported following the implementation of the National Security Law on July 1, 2020, Wong left Hong Kong abruptly and relocated to London. Alongside his editorial work, Wong has published a number of comics series in Hong Kong, Taiwan and France, including Lonely Planet, Hello World, New Hong Kong, Big Time, Je préfèrerais ne pas, and This City / That City, a series that ultimately became a farewell to the city he once called home. Wong will show a new body of work created over the past three years since leaving Hong Kong. The works reflect both personal and political vantage points, shaped by displacement and distance. The presentation, including ten new digital illustrations, six outdoor works, and three new handmade books, offers an intimate look at how the artist has been processing exile, memory, and everyday resistance through humor and quiet observation. “Carry-On” is a lighthearted introduction to a visiting artist, a soft landing, and a reminder to carry on. It reflects the emotional jet lag of freedom that many diasporic artists continue to navigate Wong is a Spring 2026 Visiting Professor in the Folklore Program at UC Berkeley, where he is offering a graduate course entitled “Laughter as Resistance: Humour, Art, and the Everyday Politics of Hong Kong.” Carry-On by Justin Wong is on view free to the public at Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco at 667 Grant Ave., February 14-September 30, 2026 every Thursday - Monday, 11am - 6pm. This will be the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco’s inaugural exhibition in its new gallery at 667 Grant Ave.