Hong Kong’s Tiananmen statue is about to be demolished and the artist protests against it
24 years of exhibition on the University of Hong Kong campus
Demolition expected after dissolution of commemorative group
(Hong Kong = Yonhap News) Correspondent Yoon Go-eun = Following China, as the Hong Kong government began to erase traces of the June 4 Tiananmen pro-democracy protests, the related memorial statue was in danger of being demolished, and the artist who made it protested, saying that he would not stand still.
According to the Hong Kong Myungbo on the 10th, Danish artist Jens Galciot, who created the ‘Pillar of Shame’, which has been on the campus of Hong Kong University since 1997, wrote an open letter on the 8th through an open letter on the 8th if the school arbitrarily moves or disposes of it. He warned that he would seek compensation.
The ‘Pillar of Shame’ is a statue commemorating the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen pro-democracy protests in China. It is 8 meters high and weighs 2 tons.
The artist Galchiot made it and donated it to the Hong Kong Citizen Supporters’ Patriotic Democratic Movement Association.
Since 1990, Jiryunhoe has been holding a candlelight ceremony to commemorate the Tiananmen Democratization Protest on June 4 every year.
However, under pressure from the authorities, the Jiryonhoe decided to voluntarily disband on the 25th of last month, and immediately after that, the University of Hong Kong notified the Jiryonhoe that if the ‘Pillar of Shame’ is not removed by the 13th, it will be removed arbitrarily.
“I haven’t received any official requests regarding the transfer of my statue,” Galciot said. “I don’t know why I should have known this through the media.
He said that when he visited the University of Hong Kong for repair work on the ‘Pillar of Shame’ in 2013, he understood that the school had allowed him and Jiryonhoe to display the statue permanently.
The artist pointed out, “The statue is a very valuable work of art,” and pointed out that “there is a very high chance that it will suffer irreparable damage if it is handled by a non-professional because it must have been partially broken during the 24 years of display.”
He also warned, “If damage is done to the statue, the university may be held liable for compensation.”
In a separate statement, former Danish Culture Minister Ufe Elbek criticized that the destruction or demolition of statues and historical monuments only occurs in authoritarian regimes, but that it is now taking place in Hong Kong, Myungbo reported.
He criticized the Chinese government for trying to erase a historically significant event from the public’s memory, saying it was very shameful.
Jilin Hoi Chairman Li Cheok-yan and one vice-chairman were sentenced to prison sentences in connection with the 2019 anti-government protests, and Hong Kong police indicted Lee and other executives on charges of violating the Hong Kong National Security Law.
The Hong Kong authorities cracked down on the Tiananmen Protest Memorial Hall in Mongkok in June, and the Tiananmen Protest Memorial Hall was closed.
As the authorities shut down the operation of the Jiryonhoe website and all social media accounts, access to the historical data the Jiryonhoe has accumulated over the past 30 years has been blocked.
pretty@yna.co.kr
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