Mopping up operation after protest inspires curator's latest show
John Batten is not one to hold back his opinions. On Tuesday, the curator hosted an unusual closing reception for Helen Grace's exhibition IPO at his Wong Chuk Hang gallery, which also doubled as a memorial for the 20th anniversary of the June 4 crackdown.
In addition to Grace's installation about the financial crisis, Batten (pictured with Grace) offered his own artistic effort with a series of about 30 photos. 'I took them on June 4 last year,' the 16-year Hong Kong resident recalled. The sequential pictures reveal a protestor lying on the floor with symbolic fake red blood. Then, a cleaner arrives, places a 'slippery floor' sign on the ground and begins mopping up the protest act.
'This was very interesting because [it was like] they were trying to clean up the history. In a way, this also shows how the Hong Kong government likes to do things. First, they want to show they care for us - don't slip over - and at the same time, it shows that they're very scared [and] they're going to end up with a mess.'
Obviously, it's not just mainlanders and Hong Kong people who have strong feelings about June 4. Australian guest artist Grace also remembers how she and her whole country were deeply moved. 'I remember hearing the news. We were all in tears, we were all very upset. Many really good Chinese artists moved to Australia at that time, and many Australian artists were influenced by the incident and created exhibitions. I think June 4 reoriented the world to look at China and it was one of the most defining moments of the 20th century.'
