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freedom and an environment for free expression, we can expect no more than objects of art like statues of the Chiang family of Taiwan or memorial statues of Chairman Mao. We hope we can allow for statues of Chiang and Mao at the same time in Hong Kong, but more important than this, we want our artists to have freedom to choose what to display in Hong Kong. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
MR. JOSEPH CHAN YUEK-SUT (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, some made things difficult for the Council by means of the Pillar of Shame. The impression I get from the public is that some people made an object of art a political tool for the expression of political views to achieve political objectives. Whether voters will choose people who intend to bring in political discussions or actions again and again, it is up to them. Voters have free choice.
All along, the Urban Council has insisted on artistic freedom. We respect freedom in artistic creation and we have never suppressed freedom of art. In the original motion, it mentions popularisation of visual art at a district level. In the amendment motion, the lofty ideal to safeguard the freedom of art is suddenly brought in. In actual fact, the Urban Council never suppressed or took actions to suppress the freedom of art. Putting in the above words is really unnecessary. In any case, the original motion seeks to deal with visual art only, not other forms of art. The amendment seeks to include 'safeguard the freedom of art' and apply it to other forms of performing and literary art. I find it inappropriate and uncalled for. I do not think inclusion of the above words is necessary. Mr. Chairman, with these remarks, I support the original motion.
MR. CHAN KWOK-LEUNG (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, the Urban Council is duty bound to promote popularisation of visual art. More importantly, it is duty bound to safeguard artistic freedom in Hong Kong. We must ensure freedom of artistic creation and expression as a necessary factor for the promotion and popularisation of visual art. We need this space for creation.
Without freedom of art as the foundation, promotion of art is just empty talk. This Council cannot call for promotion of visual art and at the same time restrict the display of pieces of art in our venues. If we do so, our sincerity and determination to promote visual art will be doubted by art workers. The incident of the Pillar of Shame precisely confirms our worries. As we know, the refusal to provide our venues for the display of the Pillar of Shame on account of its political implications sets an extremely bad precedent and deals a serious blow to artistic freedom. Certain Members of this Council have claimed that it has nothing to do with art. Obviously, they know very little about artistic freedom.
In fact, the concept of artistic freedom is clearly defined. It refers to the freedom of an art worker in expressing his feelings and his reactions to things. This includes the artist's delight, anger, grief and joy, his outlook on political
Page 151 of 654
Page 151 of 654
154
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
freedom and an environment for free expression, we can expect no more than objects of art like statues of the Chiang family of Taiwan or memorial statues of Chairman Mao. We hope we can allow for statues of Chiang and Mao at the same time in Hong Kong, but more important than this, we want our artists to have freedom to choose what to display in Hong Kong. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
MR. JOSEPH CHAN YUEK-SUT (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, some made things difficult for the Council by means of the Pillar of Shame. The impression I get from the public is that some people made an object of art a political tool for the expression of political views to achieve political objectives. Whether voters will choose people who intend to bring in political discussions or actions again and again, it is up to them. Voters have free choice.
All along, the Urban Council has insisted on artistic freedom. We respect freedom in artistic creation and we have never suppressed freedom of art. In the original motion, it mentions popularisation of visual art at a district level. In the amendment motion, the lofty ideal to safeguard the freedom of art is suddenly brought in. In actual fact, the Urban Council never suppressed or took actions to suppress the freedom of art. Putting in the above words is really unnecessary. In any case, the original motion seeks to deal with visual art only, not other forms of art. The amendment secks to include 'safeguard the freedom of art' and apply it to other forms of performing and literary art. I find it inappropriate and uncalled for. I do not think inclusion of the above words is necessary. Mr. Chairman, with these remarks, I support the original motion.
MR. CHAN KWOK-LEUNG (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, the Urban Council is duty bound to promote popularisation of visual art. More importantly, it is duty bound to safeguard artistic freedom in Hong Kong. We must ensure freedom of artistic creation and expression as a necessary factor for the promotion and popularisation of visual art. We need this space for creation.
Without freedom of art as the foundation, promotion of art is just empty talk. This Council cannot call for promotion of visual art and at the same time restrict the display of pieces of art in our venues. If we do so, our sincerity and determination to promote visual art will be doubted by art workers. The incident of the Pillar of Shame precisely confirms our worries. As we know, the refusal to provide our venues for the display of the Pillar of Shame on account of its political implications sets an extremely bad precedent and deals a serious blow to artistic freedom. Certain Members of this Council have claimed that it has nothing to do with art. Obviously, they know very little about artistic freedom.
In fact, the concept of artistic freedom is clearly defined. It refers to the freedom of an art worker in expressing his feelings and his reactions to things. This includes the artist's delight, anger, grief and joy, his outlook on political
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