London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 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
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×