London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, May 31, 2025

Dissident artists lament Hong Kong Tiananmen statue's removal

Dissident artists lament Hong Kong Tiananmen statue's removal

Dissident Chinese artists, including Ai Weiwei, have decried a Hong Kong university's removal of a statue honouring protesters killed at Tiananmen Square, saying artistic freedoms are evaporating as Beijing tightens control.
In the early hours of Thursday, the University of Hong Kong dismantled and removed a statue commemorating the democracy protesters that were killed by Chinese troops around Tiananmen Square in 1989.

The eight-metre high "Pillar of Shame" by Danish sculptor Jens Galschiot had sat on the campus since 1997, the year the former British colony was handed back to China.

Ai, one of China's best known dissident artists, said he was not surprised by the statue's removal, given how dramatically Beijing is transforming Hong Kong into a mirror of the authoritarian mainland.

"(The statue) is about the truth and every moment of the Chinese Communist Party regime is about covering up and taking control of the truth," Ai told AFP.

The artist, who now lives in Germany, said he felt the city's universities had lost their autonomy under the national security law, which Beijing imposed last year after huge and often violent pro-democracy protests two years ago.

The law has criminalised much dissent and transformed the once outspoken city. Any talk of artistic freedom in this context is futile, Ai argued.

"Hong Kong is in the middle of a tempest, finding quiet and safety is impossible."

In November, Ai became the centre of attention in Hong Kong after the newly opened multimillion-dollar M+ museum decided not to display one of his photo series, which showed him flipping a finger at Tiananmen Square and other landmarks around the world.

That sparked debate about whether political art has any future in Hong Kong, which was once a regional arts hub unshackled from China's censorship.

Another dissident artist, Badiucao, represents a new generation of political illustrators, penning near-daily satire on Twitter and other social media.

Now living in Australia, he praised the "Pillar of Shame" sculpture as "absolutely a masterpiece" that served as a source of personal inspiration for him during multiple visits to the city.

"A lot of us appreciate the existence of the pillar, particularly in a university in Hong Kong. It is something that always makes us feel hope, passion and vision for the future," Badiucao told AFP. "But now this has been taken away from us."

The 35-year-old cartoonist, whose work regularly mocks Beijing's leaders, recently held his first international solo exhibition in the Italian city of Brescia, after organisers defied warnings from Chinese authorities.

Hong Kong visual artist Kacey Wong described the statue's removal as the "beginning of the Hong Kong Cultural Revolution."

Wong compared the midnight operation -- where construction workers dismantled the statue while hidden from public view -- to a grave robbery. "It is shocking to see a university fall so drastically committing a shameful act against the law and against culture and humanity under the influence of the Chinese Communist Party," said Wong, who moved to Taiwan earlier this year, citing security fears.

"The people will not forget, not the people of the free world."
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on iPhones Amid Dispute with Apple CEO
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
Liverpool Car Ramming Incident Leaves Multiple Injured
Australia Faces Immigration Debate Following Labor Party Victory
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Macron Dismisses Viral Video of Wife's Gesture as Playful Banter
Cleveland Clinic Study Questions Effectiveness of Recent Flu Vaccine
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Junior Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
Labour MPs Urge Chancellor to Tax Wealthy Over Cutting Welfare
Publication of UK Child Poverty Strategy Delayed Until Autumn
France Detains UK Fishing Vessel Amid Post-Brexit Tensions
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
Nigel Farage Pledges to Reinstate Winter Fuel Payments
Boris and Carrie Johnson Welcome Daughter Poppy
×