A local artist known for using money to depict iconic Hong Kong landmarks has accused a global finance company of plagiarising his work.
Giraffe Leung posted a statement on Facebook on Dec. 6, writing that Principal Hong Kong copied his art without consent in a video campaign launched last month.
The company’s thirty-second video, called “The Power of Focus,” shows a man piecing together a wall-mounted world map with coins of different shades.
It bears striking resemblance to Leung’s “Coins – Memories of Hong Kong” art series, in which he uses chemical solutions to blacken coins to portray local scenes like the Victoria Harbor and the now-demolished Queen’s Pier.
In the statement, Leung said he is not affiliated with Principal Hong Kong, nor was he consulted in the making of the advertisement. He expressed “deep regret” over the incident, which he saw as “disrespect towards him and other artists.”
“It is misleading that the advertisement uses my publicly recognized art style and my good reputation to to attract sales,” he said in the statement.
Leung explained that The Bread Digital—the media agency representing Principal—did express interest in a collaboration with him back in March. But the agency eventually dropped the commission, citing a lack of funds.
According to Leung, the campaign has also been displayed in MTR stations.
On Facebook, The Bread Digital denied infringing upon the intellectual rights of Leung.
Principal Hong Kong addressed the incident on Facebook saying that they are “deeply concerned about accusations of plagiarism,” adding that they “had no intention” of copying or mirroring anyone’s artwork.
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The Hong Kong Artist Union voiced support for Leung in a Facebook statement on Tuesday and strongly condemned The Bread Digital for its actions.
“Our union thinks that this act seriously infringes on the creator’s intellectual property and affects the artist’s rights,” the post reads.
Leung, who has expressed his backing for last year’s pro-democracy demonstrations, is also known for using bright yellow tape to “frame” shoddy paint jobs over protest graffiti as a means of commemorating the social movement.
The artist said he does not seek monetary compensation, but hopes that The Bread Digital will explain the incident and apologize.
The Bread Digital did not respond to a request for comment. Principal told Coconuts to refer to its Facebook post and said it does not have anything further to add.
