Newsletter - August, 2023
Medias claim of Chinese arrest warrant on Pillar of Shame Sculptor, Kafka-reply by Hong Kong gov.,
and other things cooking at Jens Galschiots art studio
 
 
Galschiot and his team are back in action after a well-deserved (if we may say so ourselves😊) summer holiday. We had quite a busy spring with renovations, exhibitions and concerts at home.
 
 
News of a Chinese/Hong Kong arrest warrant for Galschiøt has brought us right back into action. When officially confirmed, this will be an unprecedented move in an authoritarian direction for Hong Kong. We've asked Hong Kong's authorities for confirmation, but still await an answer.
 
A clarification about the arrest order is important because Galschiot has offered to come to Hong Kong to testify in Hong Kongs case against the democracy movement, and in the case of Hong Kongs polices' arrest of a woman who had a Pillar of Shame lithograph in her home.
 
When asked about the arrest order, Hong Kong police told the News Media Ming Pao that "any action would be dealt with according to the law based on the actual circumstances; during an arrest, the police would inform the arrested person of the alleged criminal offenses". A classic Kafka'ish answer that brings back memories of 2009. Back then, Jens Galschiot requested a confirmation that he could enter Hong Kong, to avoid a repetition of his expulsion in 2008. Hong Kong authorities replied with a similar non-answer and when Galschiot came to Hong Kong he was expelled once again.
 
As Galschiot does not expect a clear answer from Hong Kong authorities, he has asked the Foreign Ministry in Denmark to get involved in the case.
 
The case will show whether Hong Kong has effectively forbidden China critical art. As Hong Kong is Asia's largest free art market with a lot of Western auction houses, this could pose a dilemma which could have big consequences for the whole market.
 
In October, Galschiøt has been invited to Taiwan, and our talented Mexican painter Ray Morales is visiting Denmark where he will create a series of new paintings and hold an exhibition at our Gallery. Furthermore, autumn brings a variety of activities (besides exhibitions) at Gallery Galschiøt, like theatre, concerts and bronze casting courses. If you are headed towards Denmark, it's definitely worth a visit.
 
Kind regards,
Everybody at Gallery Galschiot
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Background - The monument in Hong Kong
 
In 1997, I erected an 8 meters tall monument in Hong Kong in memorial of the massacre. This monument is so far still the only memorial about the Tiananmen Square massacre on Chinese soil. It's important that artists, cultural groups, and others that defend human rights use their freedom of speech to tell the story of the massacre. I hope that you will help in doing this. 
 
32 years after the massacre, history seems to be tragically repeating itself. Now with Hong Kong as the epicenter for youth demanding their basic Human Rights and the Chinese Government forcefully taking down the youth. China has passed landmark legislation to force national security laws in Hong Kong, effectively crushing the city's autonomy, removing pro-democratic forces from the parliament and sending pro-democrats in jail.
 
China’s supression of free speech is spreading to Hong Kong. Galschiot is just one of many critics who have been denied entry. So the city is deprived of a cultural exchange that is taken for granted in all open democratic societies. The expulsions are a blatant violation of the principle of ‘One country – Two systems’ that was guaranteed as part of Hong Kong’s reunion with China in ‘97.
 
Throughout 2019 and 2020 massive demonstrations in Hong Kong took place. They fought for the basic human rights that China promised Hong Kong's citizens when they took over the country in 1997, But the peaceful demonstrations have been met with comprehensive violent force from Hong Kong's police.
 
Today, China has passed landmark legislation to force national security laws in Hong Kong, effectively crushing the city's autonomy, removing pro-democratic forces from the parliament and sending pro-democrats in jail.
 
A functioning democracy on Chinese ground, even though only in Hong Kong, has been an extremely important symbol for the more than one billion living in mainland China. With the new security law, this symbol is gone.
 
The Pillar of Shame was taken down by university of Hong Kong on Dec. 22, 2021. It was done in the cover of night, without any information to the sculptures rightful owner, Jens Galschiøt. The sculpture was locked in a container for 1½ years. Dialogue with University of Hong Kong to get access to it was to no avail. 
 
On May 5th, 2023 Hong Kong Police siezed the Pillar of Shame (of course without notifying Jens Galschiøt) to use it as evidence against the Democracy Movement.
 
An arrest warrent for Jens Galschiøt by Hong Kongs authorities was reported by Sing Tao Daily, On August 4th, 2023, with the intension to transfer him to mainland China.
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Useful links
 
Download the documents about Tiananmen 1989
 
Contact Jens Galschiot: E-mail: aidoh@aidoh.dk, Internet: www.aidoh.dk, tel. +45 6618 4058, Banevaenget 22, DK-5270 Odense N
 
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Take a Virtual tour around Galschiøt's Gallery
with Google Street View
 
It is now possible to walk directly into Gallery Galschiøt and look around. So now the whole world can come visit, without having to travel halfway around the world.
 
Of course, we still hope that our many thousands of annual guests will stop by and look at art and drink coffee. Click here and take a virtual tour.
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About Jens Galschiøt
 
Danish artist Jens Galschiøt has created many socio-critical sculptures and installations through the years. Most often they are placed in public spaces around the world – as needle-sticks and silent reminders of a world that, in his opinion, is out of balance, and where exploitation of the world’s resources, inequality and migration are a constant part of the picture.
 
If you want to subscribe to this infolist click here: Subscribe to Galschiøts infoliste
 
 
9 meter tall banner litographs
 
Galschiot and former prime minister and Nato General Secretary Anders Fogh
 
 
Jens Galachiøt and people from China's democracy movement
 
 
 
 

 
This mail has been sent from the sculptor Jens Galschiøt's workshhop.
Contact to the workshop:
Galleri Galschiøt
Banevænget 22
5270 Odense N

Tlf : (+45) 6618 4058

Fax:(+45) 6618 4158portrait of Jens Galschiot 2012
E-mail: aidoh@aidoh.dk

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