“Dignity of Remembering” MARS Gallery in Melbourne, Australia

Exhibition: Dignity of Remembering

Artist: Xiao Lu

Host: MARS Gallery, Melbourne, Australia

Offical Exhibition: PHOTO2024

Opening Speech: Claire Roberts ( Professor of Art History, Melbourne University )

Opening: 29 February, 2024. 6 - 8pm

Exhibition time: 1 - 30 March, 2024

On February 29, 2024, Xiao Lu's solo exhibition "The Dignity of Remembering" opening at the MARS Gallery in Melbourne, Australia. The opening ceremony started at 6 pm, and some Hong Kong people posted Stickers next to three photos of Hong Kong's "return in progress" in 2019. The opening ceremony began at 7 o'clock. First, Andy, the owner of MARS Gallery speaking, followed by Claire Roberts, professor of Art History at University of Melbourne. Finally, artist Xiao Lu speech.

Hong Kong Peoples put sticks on the wall

Xiao Lu join the sticks

Opening view

Andy ( Lefe 1) speech, next is Claire Roberts ( Right 1)

Artist Xiao Lu speech

Xiao Lu with NGV Curator Wayne Crothers ( Right 1)

Xiao Lu with Andy, Claire Roberts and Archibald McKenzie 

The exhibition has six parts:

Part One: Performance "Skew" (Hong Kong, September 12, 2019)

Part 2: Four photos of “cleaning up the low-end population” (Beijing, December 2017)

Part Three: Three "Anti-Extradition" Photos (Hong Kong, September 2019)

Part Four: Raze / Installation (Mars Gallery in Melbourne, February 27, 2024)

Part 5: Performance "One" (Copenhagen, September 5, 2015)

Part Six: Six Ink Paintings (Sydney 2023)

Performance "Skew" (Hong Kong, September 12, 2019)

Four photos of “cleaning up the low-end population” (Beijing, December 2017)

Three "Anti-Extradition" Photos (Hong Kong, September 2019)

Raze / Installation ( Mars Gallery in Melbourne, February 27, 2024)

Performance "One" (Copenhagen, September 5, 2015)

Six Ink Paintings (Sydney 2023)

Dignity of Memory / 记忆的尊严

Many events have been erased in modern Chinese history, and the truth is hidden within a web of distorted narratives. Here, I present fragments of history as I have experienced them to ensure they are not forgotten, and the dignity of history is upheld.

On December 1, 2017, The New York Times published an article titled "Beijing Razes Migrant Neighbourhood, Evicting Tens of Thousands," stating: "Tens of thousands have already been uprooted in the city's most aggressive drive against migrant neighbourhoods that people can recall...¹"   

On December 5, 2017, I visited Xinjian Village in Beijing's Daxing District. Amidst the ruins and debris, I captured the aftermath of this devastation. Over three days in the cold winter, over three hundred thousand non-locals were driven away. Mainstream media turned a blind eye, leaving only scattered information on social media platforms like WeChat.

These displaced people were referred to as the "low-end population”.

Some days later, on December 15, I went to Pi Village in the Chaoyang District, where I recorded the very last stage of the forcible razing of this village.

On June 4, 2019, I attended the “June 4" candlelight vigil at Victoria Parkin Hong Kong for the first time. The persistence of Hong Kong people in upholding this candlelight vigil for thirty years moved and humbled me. The Hong Kong "Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill" mass protests, which began on June 9, 2019, awakened my conscience and courage. On September 12, I performed a performance titled "Skew" in Hong Kong, showing my unwavering support for the city. From then on, I joined Hong Kongers on the streets, resembling a war correspondent, holding a camera on footbridges, along the streets, and within the marching crowds. I remember being hit by tear gas, struggling to keep my eyes open, and running on the streets hand in hand with friends. In those unforgettable days, I stood with the people of Hong Kong.

Unexpectedly, the momentous "Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill" movement in Hong Kong saw a massive turnout of over two million people marching on the streets. Eventually, it was forcefully suppressed with the enactment of the "National Security Law." The longstanding Victoria Park candlelight vigil commemorating the June 4 Incident, lasting for thirty years, was subsequently banned,  and many Hong Kong people were arrested and imprisoned. On July 3, 2023, the Hong Kong police astonishingly offered a reward of one million Hong Kong dollars for each of the eight Hong Kong individuals overseas whom they sought to apprehend.

Amid historical upheavals, the opportunity to participate in and witness events firsthand has made me feel that my life is not just about mere survival.

In this exhibition, I hope to gather some debris and rubble, placing them on the gallery floor. I will also display photographs I captured in Beijing and Hong Kong, along with records of the performance of Skew in Hong Kong, hanging them on the walls or laying them on the ground. Xiao Lu will execute on site the process of installation that normally precede an exhibition at the opening itself, thereby breaking up the usual ritual of an exhibition opening. The interaction between Xiao and the public produces a situational resonance. 

Xiao Lu肖鲁

Sydney 26 November, 2023

¹ Quoted from "The New York Times" article by Chu Bailiang, 1 December 2017. “Beijing Razes Migrant Neighborhood, Evicting Tens of Thousands”. https://cn.nytimes.com/china/20171201/china-beijing-migrants/dual/

Mars gallery link: https://marsgallery.com.au/xiao-lu-dignity-of-memory/

Claire Roberts opening speech:  https://www.instagram.com/p/C4G638CyHcD/

Exhibition video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20BmuJYxFIQ&t=12s

Radio Free Asia link: https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/gangtai/cl-02292024102401.html