The arts community in Singapore was left worried on Saturday night after a post alleging that local artist Lee Wen was beaten up in Hong Kong surfaced on Facebook.

According to the post, the 57-year-old was speaking at a seminar at City University of Hong Kong and talked about Chen Guang, a Tiananmen soldier turned artist who had recently been arrested. He also spoke about lawlessness and violence in China, added the post.

He was later apparently beaten up in the toilet and left unconscious for half an hour on the floor. The post was accompanied by a photo of Mr Lee with wounds on his face. It is believed he was sent to hospital.

The performance artist is best known for his Yellow Man role, in which he paints his entire body with yellow paint and coiling two red metal chains around himself, symbolising his struggle against stereotypes.

He performed the Yellow Man in Thailand, India, Poland and Germany. In 2005, Mr Lee received a Cultural Medallion in Visual Arts. To date, he has shown his works at more than 30 international biennales and festivals.