Hong Kong Monument Remembering Tiananmen Massacre Has Been Dismantled
A sculpture remembering the lives lost during the Tiananmen Square Massacre of 1989 on the campus of Hong Kong University has been torn down after 24 years.
The Pillar of Shame, which was created by Jens Galschiøt, features a 24-foot-tall sculpture of twisted bodies fused with one another. The work was first put up in 1997, which was the year China regained control of Hong Kong.
Back in October, the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, an organization championing memorials of the massacre, was sent a letter by the university asking for the work to be removed. The group, along with many other civil unions in the nation, has been dissolved in a recent crackdown by the Chinese government.
According to Artnet News, Galschiøt had tried to get the sculpture moved back to his native Denmark, but his requests were ignored by the university. He now has no control over what happens to his work, and fears it may be destroyed.
“It has been completely impossible to get in touch with them. All my attempts to contact them have been rejected and my lawyer in Hong Kong has also tried to contact them, but failed,” he said.
In an attempt to raise awareness of the issue, Galschiøt penned an open letter asking citizens to capture the removal of the sculpture. Pictures have since surfaced of the work being taken down in the middle of the night.
Despite the backlash, Hong Kong University said its decision was “based on external legal advice and risk assessment for the best interest of the university.”
It said: “The university is also very concerned about the potential safety issues resulting from the fragile statue. Latest legal advice given to the university cautioned that the continued display of the statue would pose legal risks to the university based on the Crimes Ordinance enacted under the Hong Kong colonial government.”
It remains to be seen if the sculpture will ever make its way back to the artist, though it currently seems like an unlikely scenario.
[via Artnet News, cover image via Yl Law | Dreamstime.com]
