Censored Memories: 35 years since Tiananmen

14 May 24

 
 

 

In recalling the events and protests of 1989 and the pro-democracy movements in China through memorabilia and artworks, Censored Memories aims to keep the memories alive. In reminding ourselves of these pivotal moments of history, we affirm our commitment to safeguarding the right to remember and to resisting the forces that seek to obliterate them.

"Censored Memories" Exhibition

The event will include an exhibition on censored memories featuring items and memorabilia from the 1989 student protests on display from the archives of Humanitarian China, alongside contemporary artworks by Badiucao, Jens Galschiøt, Lumli Lumlong, Mei Yuk Wong and vawongsir. The exhibition will run until 12 June and is curated by Euchar Gravina, artistic director at St John’s Waterloo.

Book your free place here

 

 

The artists

巴丢草 Badiucao is a popular and prolific political artist from China who uses his art to challenge the censorship and dictatorship in China, especially through his social media channels. His work was used by Amnesty International, Freedom House, BBC, CNN and China Digital Times and exhibited in Europe, Australia, and America. Badiucao believes history is constantly being unified and tampered with, and even forgotten, when free speech and democracy are absent. He believes art and internet has the power to deconstruct the arrogance and authority of dictatorship as building block of individual awakening and free independence. Over the years, Badiucao has been subject to multiple efforts to discredit him and censor his work. In 2021, the Chinese Embassy in Italy warned that if an exhibition in which his work was being shown went ahead it would “endanger” Italy and China’s good relations and posters for the exhibition were vandalised. @badiucao

Jens Galschiøt is an award-winning and internationally significant Danish artist and sculptor who is well-known for his iconic Pillar of Shame, a series of 8m tall bronze, copper and concrete sculptures created to commemorate the loss of life and serve as a warning against shameful events in history which must never recur. In Hong Kong, the Pillar of Shame was erected in 1997 to commemorate the Tiananmen Square massacre but in 2021, after a formal request from the University of Hong Kong for it to be removed, it disappeared overnight. Galschiøt actively promotes and supports free artistic expression, and is the founder of Art in Defence of Humanitarianism (Aidoh). He has recently started making miniature 3D-printed versions of the Pillar of Shame, one of which will be on display at Censored Memories.

 

 

淋漓淋浪  Lumli Lumlong are a husband and wife painting duo, whose artwork focuses on social issues, particularly human rights and authoritarianism. They left Hong Kong for the UK in the summer of 2021 after they were accused by the press of promoting Hong Kong independence. Their book, “Liberation of Art”, has been banned in Hong Kong. Even while in Europe, they have been subject to efforts to intimidate them and interfere with their work. They will display their artwork in the exhibition.  @lumlilumlong_

 

Vawongsir is a cartoonist and former secondary school visual arts teacher in Hong Kong. He created cartoons reflecting the 2019 protests that were widely shared by the Hong Kong community at home and abroad. In 2020, he faced disciplinary action over a series of political cartoons deemed “inappropriate” by the Education Bureau in Hong Kong. He continues to make and share art about Hong Kong in exile. His artwork will be displayed in the exhibition.

 

Mei Yuk Wong is a UK-based multi-disciplinary artist, originally from Hong Kong. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally and explores different ideas and concepts, from personal stories to gender equality and global issues. Art and activism are intertwined in her practice. She has worked with diverse communities and significant cultural organizations. This year, she received a Community Champion Award from Groundswell Project and was nominated as a New Earth Academy Champion. Website: https://meiyukwong.co.uk. Instagram: @meiyukwong4286

 

Event launch

The exhibition will launch on 29 May with an evening of music and discussion.

Book your free place here

 

Event partners

 

Fengsuo Zhou is executive director of Human Rights in China and President of Humanitarian China. Humanitarian China has generously donated funds to support this exhibition as well as items and artefacts from the 1989 protests.
h-china.org and hrichina.org

Index on Censorship
Index on Censorship is a UK-based nonprofit that campaigns for and defends freedom of expression worldwide. We work with censored writers and artists, promote debate, and monitor threats to free speech. Index’s aim is to raise awareness about threats to free expression and the value of free speech as the first step to tackling censorship.
www.indexoncensorship.org 

Hong Kong Watch
Founded in 2017, Hong Kong Watch is a UK-registered charity consisting of Hong Kongers and friends of Hong Kong, working closely with Hong Kong community groups worldwide. We educate legislators, policy-makers, media, and the wider public about the violations of human rights and the rule of law in Hong Kong, and advocate for actions to assist Hong Kongers. We do this through a combination of in-depth research reports, topical briefings, opinion editorials, media interviews, and advocacy campaigns.
hongkongwatch.org 

St John’s Waterloo
St John’s Waterloo is a historic Grade II* church that reopened in October 2022 after a major restoration by Eric Parry Architects. It provides the best new performance, event and meeting spaces on the South Bank, and is home to one of the most inclusive church communities in London. St John’s produces a year-round programme of arts and culture, including the annual Waterloo Festival, and is co-home to the academy-orchestra Southbank Sinfonia and Waterloo Community Theatre. It also runs the award-winning churchyard garden and a variety of community projects.
stjohnswaterloo.org

 

Event speakers and performers

Ma Jian

Ma Jian is an award-winning author who is widely regarded as one of China’s most important writers. His writing is banned in China, and his works include Stick Out Your Tongue (1987), best-selling memoir Red Dust (2000), The Noodle Maker (2003), Beijing Coma (2008) and China Dream (2018). He took part in the 1989 democracy protests and is a vocal about freedom of speech and artistic expression in China. 

Rahima Mahmut

Rahima Mahmut is UK director of the World Uyghur Congress and the lead vocalist of the London Silk Road Collective. Despite having lived in the UK since 2000, Rahima continues to be subject to efforts to silence her and discredit her work in defence of human rights.

Yinfi

Yinfi (因非), a London-based music producer, vocalist, and screen music composer from China, has been creating music advocating for civil liberties suppressed by authorities in Hong Kong and Beijing after he came to the UK to study in 2018. His advocacy has resulted in ostracism within the screen music industry, both in China and internationally, and triggered various forms of transnational repression by Chinese authorities, convincing him that returning to his homeland would jeopardise his safety. Despite these intimidations, Yinfi remains steadfast in his belief that singing songs for human rights louder is the best way to counter the fear imposed by Chinese authorities and protect artistic freedom. Read the lyrics Yinfi will perform here.

Exhibition opening times

Wednesday 29 May to Wednesday 12 June*

*The gallery will be open on the specific dates and times below. Kindly consult St John's Waterloo's website when planning your visit in case of last minute changes to the schedule due to building operations.

29 May, 7pm - 9:30pm (as part of 'Censored Memories' event)

30 May, 9:15am - 5pm (last admission at 4:30pm)

31 May, 9:15am - 5pm (last admission at 4:30pm) 

3 June, 9:15am - 5pm (last admission at 4:30pm)

4 June, 9:15am - 5pm (last admission at 4:30pm)

5 June, 9:15am - 5pm (last admission at 4:30pm)

6 June, 9:15am - 5pm (last admission at 4:30pm)

7 June, 9:15am - 5pm (last admission at 4:30pm)

10 June, 9:15am - 5pm (last admission at 4:30pm)

11 June, 9:15am - 5pm (last admission at 4:30pm)

12 June, 9:15am - 4pm (last admission at 3:30pm)

You do not need a ticket to attend the exhibition except for the opening night event. Free tickets for the opening night are available here.

Banned by Beijing: Calling out transnational repression through art

21 Jun 23

Making art is a defining and treasured trait of being human. Its story is not only weaved into the that of humankind but showcases its essence and wonder - spiritual, philosophical, functional, decorative, conceptual. It is utterly human. A string of ignominious episodes in history tell of those who recognised the unique power of creative expression and sought to crush it. Again and again, it’s been judged an enemy of subjugation and a mortal danger to despots.

A clear case is the Chinese Communist Party’s repression of its peoples’ right to freedom of expression. This has been widely documented, from the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre and the more recent Uyghur genocide in Xinjiang to the countless number of writers and artists locked up in jails or under house arrest.

However, few realise that its ceaseless attempts to stifle all criticism of the party and country extend beyond its borders, including into Europe. According to Freedom House, the CCP is currently conducting the most sophisticated, global campaign of transnational repression in the world.

The aim of this exhibition is to highlight the CCP’s transnational repression in Europe by and through the works and stories of dissident artists. It aims not only to warn but also to celebrate those who, whilst in
forced exile, keep facing down the long arm of censorship with the vigour of artistic expression.

Curator:

Euchar Gravina, Artistic Director at St John’s Waterloo, in collaboration with the artists and Index on Censorship. Produced by: Index on Censorship and St John’s Waterloo.

 

Artists:

Badiucao is a Chinese-Australian artists and human rights defender. As well as being subject to harassment and smear campaigns, he has faced multiple efforts to censor his work, including in the Czech Republic, Italy, and most recently, in Poland.

 

Lumli Lumlong are a husband and wife painting duo, whose artwork focuses on social issues, particularly human rights and authoritarianism. They left Hong Kong for the UK in the summer of 2021 after they were accused by the press of promoting Hong Kong independence. Their book, “Liberation of Art”, has been banned in Hong Kong. Even while in Europe, they have been subject to efforts to intimidate them and interfere with their work.

vawongsir is a cartoonist and former secondary school visual arts teacher in Hong Kong. He created cartoons reflecting the 2019 protests that were widely shared by the Hong Kong community at home and abroad. In 2020, he faced disciplinary action over a series of political cartoons deemed “inappropriate” by the Education Bureau in Hong Kong. He continues to make and share art about Hong Kong in exile.

The exhibition:

1. Lumli Lumlong: The Publisher (2016) (oil on canvas, 92cm x 72cm)

2. Lumlong: Scale Man (2011) (oil on canvas, 125cm x 200cm)

3. Lumli: Tank Man (2014) (oil on canvas, 125cm x 200cm)

4. vawongsir: from The Speechless Series (print on foamboard, 29.7cm x 29.7cm)

5. Lumli Lumlong: The Zipper (2012) (oil on canvas, 200cm x 125cm)

6. vawongsir: from The Speechless Series (print on foamboard, 29.7cm x 29.7cm)

7. vawongsir: from The Speechless Series (print on foamboard, 29.7cm x 29.7cm)

8. right: Lumli: The Brainwashed (2012) (oil on canvas, 92cm x 73cm)
left: Lumlong: National Education (2012) (oil on canvas, 51cm x 41cm)

9. Badiucao: The prisoner of umbrella Joshua Huang 雨伞囚犯 (print on foamboard, 36cm x 29.7cm)

10. Lumli Lumlong: Red Brick Wall People (2022) (oil on canvas, 200cm x 125cm)

11. Lumli Lumlong: Thousand Hands Man (2019) (oil on canvas, 200cm x 125cm)

12. right: Badiucao: “#A4REVOLUTION CHINA” (print on foamboard, 42cm x 29.7cm)
left: Badiucao: “Wulumuqi Rd.(M)” (print on foamboard, 42cm x 29.7cm)
Badiucao: “#A4REVOLUTION CHINA” (print on foamboard, 42cm x 29.7cm)

13. Lumli Lumlong: Apple Man (2023) (oil on canvas, 92cm x 73cm)

14. right: Badiucao: “XI IS WATCHING YOU” (print on foamboard, 42cm x 29.7cm)
left: vawongsir: from The Speechless Series (print on foamboard, 29.7cm x 29.7cm)

15. right: Badiucao: Devouring II (print on foamboard, 39cm x 29.7cm)
left: Badiucao: Devouring I (print on foamboard, 39cm x 29.7cm)

16. right: Lumli Lumlong: Hong Kong Fooide (2023) (oil on canvas, 51cm x 41cm)
left: Lumli Lumlong: Hidden Agenda (2023) (oil on canvas, 41cm x 51cm)

17. Badiucao: “FREE UYGHURS” (print on foamboard, 42cm x 29.7cm)

With China becoming an increasingly dominant world power, there is growing evidence that an emboldened Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is employing a range of tools aimed at pressuring or manipulating those beyond its borders to respect – or even align with – the CCP’s political agenda. Examples are numerous, but include demands made to a French history museum to remove certain words from its exhibition about Mongol emperor Genghis Khan in 2020. The exhibition did not end up going ahead.

Banned by Beijing seeks to raise awareness of the CCP’s subversion of freedom of expression in Europe by creating a repository of reports and articles on the issue, and by providing a platform to those who are most affected by transnational repression

“I never feel the freedom that I wanted. I never feel such freedom because of a chain-like thing from China on my neck.” - Anonymous (Germany) in an interview with Index on Censorship

“I never thought people would get censored in Europe. I never thought that China would have such a long arm to choke someone’s throat. You cannot see it physically, but you know it’s there.”- Nyrola Elimä (Sweden) in an interview with Index on Censorship

“After I started speaking out and I became more prominent in the news, the first form of intimidation was in an email in Uyghur, which told me to ‘stay put or else.’” - Alerk Ablikim (Netherlands) in an interview with Index on Censorship

“France is of course much freer than China, but it is less ideal than I thought. How to protect the freedom of the individual, including that of the artist, when the limits of government power are ever expanding, is a question for the whole world.” - Chiang Seeta (France) in an interview with Index on Censorship