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Chinese pressurize UN to censors Edmonton artists' sculpture

Source: Edmonton Journal,22 July,2010

 EDMONTON - Two Edmonton artists are shocked that part of their internationally renowned work, The Gun Sculpture, was subject to censorship at a United Nations exhibition in Vienna this summer after pressure from the Chinese delegation.

The 4.5-tonne sculpture, welded together from deactivated guns, landmines and ammunition, has been shown in many countries, including at UN headquarters in New York in 2001, and has never run into problems, said artist Sandra Bromley, who built the sculpture with Wallis Kendal.

Besides the weapons, the exhibit includes panels with photographs of more than 100 victims of violence from dozens of countries, including two images of Tibetan nuns.

All the photographs were removed in an act of "blunt censorship," said Bromley.

That happened after the Chinese objected to exhibit organizers and other UN departments at the UN's Vienna International Centre. China invaded Tibet in 1950, and has suppressed several uprisings in the Himalayan country.

The two parts of the exhibit must be displayed together to maintain the integrity of the art, said Bromley, noting that the 114 photos have been displayed at every stop. Text with each image is displayed separately.

"We were absolutely shocked," said Bromley. "This was done without any consultation or permission."

The sculpture -- which includes 7,000 small arms, all of which were used in conflicts around the world -- is a statement about the history of guns. The victims' photos are designed to "reflect the impact of guns, the human loss," she said.

There's a third element to the exhibit, a comment board where people who visit can leave comments on their reactions to the sculpture.

Bromley and Kendal attended the Vienna opening of the exhibit on June 3, along with many UN dignitaries such as Hans Blix, former head of the International Atomic Energy Commission, who headed UN weapons inspections in Iraq prior to the 2003 U.S. invasion. It made a very positive impact, Bromley said.

So the artists were surprised in early July to receive an e-mail from exhibit organizers saying that the Chinese delegation wanted the entire exhibit removed. A few days later, someone removed the panels with photographs of victims of violence. It was two days before the panels turned up again and were put in storage.

"Our exhibit is diminished without the victims' mural," said Bromley. "No one offered to restore the panels. We don't look at this art as a political statement," she said, noting that many countries are represented on the panels, including Canada.

"The message is the unmasking of violence, we wanted to challenge the culture of violence and create dialogue about it," she said.

A brief text is included with each victim photo. For the Tibetan photos, one reads, "Imprisoned and beaten in prison" and the second reads, "Locked up as a teenager because of violent political beliefs."

On July 13, Bromley and Kendal received a letter from a UN official in Vienna expressing admiration for the art, but no promise to restore the panels to the installation. The letter acknowledged some parts of the exhibit have been removed.

"But by no means has deliberate action been taken to undermine the integrity or the value of the work," said the letter.

A representative of the Chinese delegation in Vienna initially acknowledged the country had complained about the sculpture and later declined to comment, according to a local newspaper report.

The exhibit in Vienna, called The Art of Peace-making, opened in June especially for the annual meeting of the Academic Council of the UN, said Andy Knight, professor of international relations at the University of Alberta and a former vice-president with the council.

"This is on public display to the world and China wouldn't stand for that at a UN facility," said Knight, adding he's surprised UN staff gave in to China's pressure.

It's ironic that a sculpture promoting peace would be censored at the UN, an organization devoted to peace and security, he said.

Kendal and Bromley's sculpture was displayed first at the Edmonton Art Gallery in 2000.

spratt@thejournal.canwest.com
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