Pillar of Shame Confiscated as Evidence

The Pillar of Shame when it stood in the HKU campus

The saga of the sculpture paying homage to the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre continues with it being confiscated by the police yesterday, apparently related to a national security case.

The Pillar of Shame, which had been taken apart, wrapped up and hidden in the University of Hong Kong's Kadoorie Centre in Yuen Long, was taken by the police as evidence for a subversion case.

Since 1997, the eight-metre tall sculpture featuring people in an organic pyramid, was standing at the HKU campus until it was dismantled in the middle of the night by a crew in hard hats in December 2021.

It was removed late one night in December 2021

When Jens Galschiot, the artist who made the sculpture heard about the latest development from the media, he slammed the operation as "outrageous", as he said he was the owner of the artwork and no one had consulted him on the matter.

He wrote a message on his newsletter which read in full:

I just got the news from the media about the removing of the Pillar of Shame from Hong Kong University. This is outrageous. This is my sculpture and nobody has consulted or informed me about anything.

I have heard that the sculpture will be used as evidence under the national security law, but this makes no sense to me.

The pillar was placed in Hong Kong, before Hong Kong was handed over by the British. It is an art piece made and exhibited by a Danish artist (me) as his personal project. The initiative has been mine, nobody has incited me to put it there, and I personally paid all expenses for it. 

I cannot see how they can use the sculpture under the national security law. The Democratic Alliance and many Hongkongers have been assisting me putting the sculpture in Hong Kong, but so has shipping companies, crane firms and University of Hong Kong. Even Hong Kong authorities has given permission for me to put it up and move it around.

Though I am deeply touched that the Pillar is used this way in Hong Kong, the events confirm the that symbolic language of art cannot be crushed, and only gets stronger when attacked. The Pillar of Shame and talks about the June 4th massacre hasn’t been more present than now. Hong Kong (China!) took down the pillar but got a 1000 back. It appears as 3D prints all over the world, as AI and as banners.

 

Galschiot continues to demand sculpture back

Sincerely yours,
Jens Galschiot, May 5^th, 2023

 

The security bureau released a statement replying to Galschiot in part: "Some organisations attempted to mislead the public in the name of artistic freedom and requested to return the evidence, smearing the police's legal action with insensible blame, undermining law and the rule of law."

Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said the removal of the statue had nothing to do with the upcoming June 4 anniversary, and that the operation was done according to the ongoing investigation.

"The legal proceedings are still ongoing. I cannot reveal any details... We will continue to search for more evidence to support the prosecution work," he said.

The organiser of Hong Kong's annual Tiananmen Square candlelight vigil -- the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriot Democratic Movements of China -- together with three of its leading members, Lee Cheuk-yan, Albert Ho Chun-yah, and Chow Hang-tung have been charged with inciting subversion under the national security law.

The chances of Galschiot retrieving his sculpture have dimmed significantly now that it has been confiscated as "evidence"...