Press release
from Jens Galschiot and Lasse Galschiot Markus
In memory of Szeto
Wah
– democracy fighter
from Hong Kong
Recently a number
of huge public commemorations have taken place in Hong Kong. Thousands of Chinese
have participated to honor and commemorate the poet, the Member of Parliament
and the democracy activist Szeto Wah who died on January 2, 2011. A large
number of Chinese dissidents have been trying to go to Hong Kong to attend the
commemoration. But sadly, many have been rejected in the airport, as a direct
consequence of Chinas growing influence in Hong Kong, despite of Chinas promise
of regional autonomy.
Besides of Szeto
Wah’s regional influence, his work has also influenced European art- and grassroot
movements. As President of ‘Hong Kong Alliance in
Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China’ Szeto Wah received the
Danish artist Jens Galschiot’s 8 meter tall sculpture ‘The Pillar of Shame’, which was
placed in Hong Kong in 1997 as a permanent memorial to the Tiananmen
massacre in Beijing 1989. Today the sculpture has also become a symbol of
the Chinese threat to freedom of speech and human rights in Hong Kong, after
China’s takeover of Hong Kong in 1997. The erection of the sculpture has caused
so much anger in Beijing, that the Danish artist has been black listed in China
and has several times been rejected entrance into Hong Kong despite of the
agreement on visa free travel for Europeans. For this reason Jens Galschiot
cannot participate in the commemoration of Szeto Wah. Being a brilliant poet
Szeto Wah was the one who gave Chinese names to both ‘The
Pillar of Shame’ and its creator Jens Galschiot.
On the funeral day
on January 29th, Jens Galschiot and his son Lasse Galschiot declare:
”We had the honor
of working with Szeto Wah on several occasions. We experienced his skills as he
mastered the symbolic language and used creativity to generate debate and
interest in the fight for a more humanistic society.
For example he knew
how to use western art, in shape of ‘The Pillar of Shame’. Thereby internationalizing
the struggle for a democratic Hong Kong, and maintain that Beijing does not
have the right to restrict freedom of expression in Hong Kong. In 2008 we were denied entrance into Hong Kong, as we
were taking part in the art happening ’TheColorOrange’
which would focus on the human rights situation during the Olympics in China in
2008. But Szeto Wah was able to turn defeat into victory as he and other
democracy advocates painted
‘The Pillar of Shame’ orange themselves - thereby bringing attention to the
lack of freedom of speech in the country.
We will remember
Szeto Wah as a friend and a comrade in the struggle for a more humanistic
world.
The
fight is far from won. But all sorts of advocates for a more humane world will
commemorate Szeto Wah with honor and respect. And his visions and use of
symbolic language will be an eternal source of inspiration for us to continue
the fight.”
Szeto Wah’s memorial will be a source of
inspiration for future generations of democracy activists.
Jens Galschiot, sculptor Denmark and
Lasse Galschiot
Markus, organizer and communications officer
Contact/info/photos on Jens Galschiot:
www.aidoh.dk, phone +45 6618 4058, aidoh@aidoh.dk and
Lasse Galschiot Markus +45 6170 3083
We have collected a
large number of links and photos about Szeto Wah at: http://www.aidoh.dk/Szeto
Info: About the art
happening TheColorOrange
carried out in connection to the
Olympics in Beijing
http://www.thecolororange.net/uk/
Info: About the
sculpture The Pillar of Shame, http://www.aidoh.dk/HK-Pillar
Info: AboutThe Hong
Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China http://www.alliance.org.hk/english/index.html
Info: About the Tiananmen
massacre: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen_Square_protests_of_1989
Info and documentation: About the
Tiananmen massacre: http://www.aidoh.dk/4June89