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HU JIAMIN working on his mural Timed Discrepancy (2017), at the Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture in Shenzhen. The work, painted in commemoration of Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, was later covered up, and Hu and his wife have been taken by authorities. Courtesy Cao Yuxue.
The Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture kicked off in Shenzhen on Friday, December 15, with a snag.
Hu Jiamin, a Chinese-born artist who holds French citizenship, painted a mural titled Time Discrepancy (2017) by the main venue’s entrance. The work depicted an empty blue chair, foregrounding a traditional Chinese landscape, which is seemingly entrapped behind red prison bars. The chair was painted in memory of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo, a Chinese dissident who was arrested in December 2008, and was later sentenced to 11 years in prison for “inciting subversion of state power.” Due to Liu’s incarceration, he was unable to travel to Oslo to accept his Nobel Prize. At the award ceremony, an empty chair was placed on stage to mark the laureate’s absence. Liu passed away on July 13, 2017, due to terminal liver cancer, at a heavily guarded hospital in Shenyang.
HU JIAMIN‘s mural Timed Discrepancy (2017) was located at the entrance of the Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture in Shenzhen. The work was covered up on the day of the event’s opening on December 15. Hu and his wife have been taken by authorities. Courtesy Cao Yuxue.
There are other elements in Hu’s mural that make political statements as well. Security cameras are painted in the corners, evoking the government surveillance that takes place in the People’s Republic. Mao Zedong’s rallying cry, “Serve the People,” is painted as faded text.
It is unclear whether the organizers were aware of the mural’s contents before Hu executed the work.
Visitors to the biennial have indicated that security personnel did not interrupt Hu and his wife Marine Brossard when they were painting the mural. When asked about his work, the artist explained the subject matter truthfully. On Friday night, plainclothes police covered the mural with a large banner printed with a textual introduction to the exhibition, and removed the couple from the exhibition’s main venue. The police have launched an investigation regarding the mural’s display in the biennial. Those in charge of commissioning the project are also being questioned.
Hu and Brossard have been incommunicado since Saturday, December 16, after being taken by the authorities.
The Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture is on view at multiple venues in Shenzhen until March 17, 2018.
Brady Ng is the reviews editor of ArtAsiaPacific.
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