On June 4th, 2019, the 30th Anniversary of the Tiananmen Square 1989 Student Movement in China will take place. What happened on that day on Tiananmen Square remains unspeakable till even thirty years later in Mainland China, where the censorship suppressed and deprived people’s memories regarding this historical event.
In New York City immediately thereafter, the exhibition CHINA: June 4, 1989 began to accumulate. With the dedication and passion of Asian American Arts Centre (AAAC), hundreds of artists forged their talents and sympathy to create fervent works of art endeavored to keep this critical historic moment in people’s memories. Through the ingenuity and power of their art, the vivid impact of that day was given a visual form. As the exhibition continued and traveled over the years, the purpose to preserve this historical moment through art was realized. This goal continued through to the 25th anniversary exhibition AAAC mounted in Lower Manhattan in 2014.
AAAC is a non-profit community arts organization, directed by Robert Lee, is dedicated to promoting the presence of Asian American Art in the United States since 1974, joined together with Humanitarian China (HC), which is also a non-profit organization incorporated in California, by Fengsuo Zhou, Zhao Jing and Gang Xu, all student leaders in that movement. HC is dedicated to provide humanitarian care for political prisoners and Tiananmen Mothers in China, to preserve history of China’s democracy movement and to educate the general public. With these goals in mind, HC is going to carry on AAAC’s goal to exhibit, promote, and protect these precious artworks and to educate the public, to ensure that “China, June 4, 1989” as an important historical movement, will not vanish, and the spirit of those who suffered because of this, shall never perish.
Humanitarian China plans to exhibit this collection on a national tour through major cities, arriving at the Liberty Sculpture Park near Los Angeles on the anniversary of the 30th anniversary of Tiananmen Massacre. These artworks will be the seeding collection of the first permanent June 4th museum committed to preserving the history of the fight for freedom and democracy in China. This museum will collect and display other valuable historical objects and artworks against censorship and forced amnesia.
AAAC assigns its care of the CHINA: June 4, 1989 exhibition to HC so that the purpose and goals of the aforesaid effort and determination will continue. Our sincere appreciation goes to all of the artists who contributed their efforts to make this endeavor possible. Gratitude also goes to all of the supporters of AAAC and HC whose generosity over many years sustained us. Thanks to the friends, organizations, and businesses who enabled the art works to be housed and cared for. Thanks to our diversified audiences, especially our Asian Americans who understood us spiritually and emotionally, and over the years courageously supported us in the public, artistic and social arenas. And our gratitude also goes to the lawyers whose long hours of pro bono work made this day possible, particularly Yee Ling Poon, Esq., and Yujian Zhang, Esq.
Robert Lee (伍振亮) Fengsuo Zhou (周鋒鎖)
Asian American Arts Centre Humanitarian China
111 Norfolk St. NYC 10002 https://h-china.org/donation/
www.artspiral.org hc@h-china.org
http://artspiral.org/june4.php
AAACinfo@artspiral.org
