Jens Galschiøt
Encyclopedia
Jens Galschiøt, is a Danish sculptor
best known for the Pillar of Shame
. Galschiøt moved to Odense
in 1973, and in 1985 he opened a 2000 square metre combined foundry, studio, gallery and sculpture park. In 1990, Galschiøt, Erik Mortensen and Jean Voigt, created the sculpture The Ringwearer's Jacket, which was commissioned by the Clothing Industry’s Union of Denmark for Queen Margaret II’s 50th birthday. Galschiøt contributed work to the Seville Expo '92
.
In 1997, he created the Pillar of Shame
in Hong Kong
. This became the start of a series of sculptures with the same name when he created a second in Mexico
in 1999 and a third in Brazil
in 2000.
In 2008, Galschiøt started The Color Orange campaign against human rights violations in China. He was denied entry to Hong Kong, where he had intended to paint the Pillar of Shame
orange.
The Showbiz of 1993. A mask of bronze. The prize is given once a year by the Kolding Theatre
to an outstanding character of the cultural life.
Wing. Sculpture for the Phoenix Architectural Competition, ‘Function and Form 1991’.
Hans Christian Andersen Prize. Every year since 1996 Galschiot has made a copper casting of
Andersen’s book The Adventures of my Life. A poem of Andersen and the name of the prize receiver
are engraved. The sculpture is awarded to three persons who have contributed to the propagation of
the storyteller’s works. The prize has been rewarded, among others, to German writer Günter Grass,
the American film producer Steven Spielberg and in 2004 to Queen Margaret II.
The Fernando Prize. A sculpture prize for the Association of Social Politics. Since 1998
awarded once a year for an extraordinary contribution in the field of the association.
The Solar Catcher. The prize of the Danish Department of Energy. 1998-2001 awarded once a
year to a municipality that had made a special effort in the research and implementation of renewable
solar energy.
is a series of Galschiøt's sculptures. The first was erected in Hong Kong on 4 June 1997, ahead of the handover from British to Chinese rule on 1 July 1997, as a protest against China's crackdown of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
. The Pillar of Shame is eight metres high and depicts twisted human bodies. On 30 April 2008, the Pillar was painted orange by Chinese democracy activists as part of the worldwide Color
Orange campaign launched by Galschiot to denounce China’s human rights violations. The event was held to coincide with the Olympic Games held in Beijing in August 2008.
Galschiot and his staff went to Hong Kong to take part in the event but were denied entrance by the Hong Kong immigration
authorities.
Galschiøt later erected versions of the Pillar of Shame in cities around the world to protest against infringements against humanity.
On 1 May 1999, a Pillar of Shame was set up on the Zócalo in Mexico City
. It stood for two days in front of the Parliament to protest the oppression of the region's indigenous people. The Pillar was later moved to a site at the entrance of the village of Acteal
in Chiapas
, where 45 unarmed indigenous people were killed by a paramilitary group on 22 December 1997. The re-erection of the sculpture was attended by hundreds of local people. On 22 December 2003, plates in the local language Tzotzil
were donated to the inhabitants of Acteal. The original plates on the Pillar were in Spanish and English - languages that many indigenous people do not understand.
to commemorate 19 landless peasants who were killed by the military police in the northern state of Pará on
17 April 1996. It was mounted in co-operation with the
MST (the landless peasants movement
) and opposition MPs. The sculpture was erected despite exacerbated resistance from the right wing and sections of the government. The Minister of Justice said that: "This sculpture will never be set up in front of the Brazilian Parliament." On 1 May the Pillar of Shame was permanently erected in Belém
, capital of the northern
state of Pará, where the Eldorado massacre
had taken place in connection with a land occupation. Mayor Edmilson Rodrigues declared at the inauguration: "Despite of resistance from the elite, we stick to our promise of setting up the Pillar of Shame as a symbol opposing oppression and violence that is taking a toll of lives and depriving people of
their rights".
Seville Expo '92
, Spain. The Cocoon consists of 22 steel shields, each measuring
1.5 metres x 4 meters. The shields are penetrated by faces made of bronze. Galschiot contributed twenty bronze sculptures and a working silversmith’s workshop.
The exhibition was arranged in cooperation with The Mobile Gallery in Kolding that had received a 76 metre-long submarine as a gift from Gorbatjev. French artist Jean Dewasne was responsible for the outside ornamentation, Galschiot for the inside fitting up of the submarine. The vision of establishing a cultural growth centre for young unemployed in the submarine was never realised.
out what has happened to each of the 20 sculptures. The fate of the Beasts varies quite a lot. In some cities the statue has been hidden away or even destroyed. It is striking that all 3 sculptures set up in France have disappeared. Some rumours suggest that the Beasts have transformed themselves into MPs. However, to the artist this explanation seems too far-fetched. In other cities the Beast has found a prominent site. In Bonn it has even been incorporated in the German state’s art collection, and the statue also found a permanent place in Copenhagen, Milano, Barcelona and Innsbruck. The anniversary was celebrated during the European Social Forum 12–15 November 2003 in Paris where two Beasts participated in the big manifestation accompanied by Survival of the
Fattest and 14 Hunger Boys.
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
best known for the Pillar of Shame
Pillar of Shame
Pillar of Shame is a series of sculptures by Danish artist Jens Galschiøt. Each sculpture is an 8-metre tall bronze, copper or concrete statue — four have been erected, in Rome, Hong Kong, Mexico, and Brazil. A fifth one in Berlin was planned.-Symbolism:...
. Galschiøt moved to Odense
Odense
The city of Odense is the third largest city in Denmark.Odense City has a population of 167,615 and is the main city of the island of Funen...
in 1973, and in 1985 he opened a 2000 square metre combined foundry, studio, gallery and sculpture park. In 1990, Galschiøt, Erik Mortensen and Jean Voigt, created the sculpture The Ringwearer's Jacket, which was commissioned by the Clothing Industry’s Union of Denmark for Queen Margaret II’s 50th birthday. Galschiøt contributed work to the Seville Expo '92
Seville Expo '92
The Universal Exposition of Seville took place from Monday, April 20 to Monday, October 12, 1992 on La Isla de La Cartuja , Seville, Spain. The theme for the Expo was "The Age of Discovery" and over 100 countries were represented...
.
In 1997, he created the Pillar of Shame
Pillar of Shame
Pillar of Shame is a series of sculptures by Danish artist Jens Galschiøt. Each sculpture is an 8-metre tall bronze, copper or concrete statue — four have been erected, in Rome, Hong Kong, Mexico, and Brazil. A fifth one in Berlin was planned.-Symbolism:...
in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. This became the start of a series of sculptures with the same name when he created a second in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
in 1999 and a third in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
in 2000.
In 2008, Galschiøt started The Color Orange campaign against human rights violations in China. He was denied entry to Hong Kong, where he had intended to paint the Pillar of Shame
Pillar of Shame
Pillar of Shame is a series of sculptures by Danish artist Jens Galschiøt. Each sculpture is an 8-metre tall bronze, copper or concrete statue — four have been erected, in Rome, Hong Kong, Mexico, and Brazil. A fifth one in Berlin was planned.-Symbolism:...
orange.
Works for awards
Jens Galschiøt has made several works for awards over the past years, and many are given annually. Some of them are mentioned here:The Showbiz of 1993. A mask of bronze. The prize is given once a year by the Kolding Theatre
to an outstanding character of the cultural life.
Wing. Sculpture for the Phoenix Architectural Competition, ‘Function and Form 1991’.
Hans Christian Andersen Prize. Every year since 1996 Galschiot has made a copper casting of
Andersen’s book The Adventures of my Life. A poem of Andersen and the name of the prize receiver
are engraved. The sculpture is awarded to three persons who have contributed to the propagation of
the storyteller’s works. The prize has been rewarded, among others, to German writer Günter Grass,
the American film producer Steven Spielberg and in 2004 to Queen Margaret II.
The Fernando Prize. A sculpture prize for the Association of Social Politics. Since 1998
awarded once a year for an extraordinary contribution in the field of the association.
The Solar Catcher. The prize of the Danish Department of Energy. 1998-2001 awarded once a
year to a municipality that had made a special effort in the research and implementation of renewable
solar energy.
Major projects/sculpture groups
Jens Galschiøt is an active political artist. He creates most of his art projects to inspire debate and make people think. He typically places his works at the center of attention, with or without permission.The Pillar of Shame - a Sculptural Outcry
Pillar of ShamePillar of Shame
Pillar of Shame is a series of sculptures by Danish artist Jens Galschiøt. Each sculpture is an 8-metre tall bronze, copper or concrete statue — four have been erected, in Rome, Hong Kong, Mexico, and Brazil. A fifth one in Berlin was planned.-Symbolism:...
is a series of Galschiøt's sculptures. The first was erected in Hong Kong on 4 June 1997, ahead of the handover from British to Chinese rule on 1 July 1997, as a protest against China's crackdown of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, also known as the June Fourth Incident in Chinese , were a series of demonstrations in and near Tiananmen Square in Beijing in the People's Republic of China beginning on 15 April 1989...
. The Pillar of Shame is eight metres high and depicts twisted human bodies. On 30 April 2008, the Pillar was painted orange by Chinese democracy activists as part of the worldwide Color
Orange campaign launched by Galschiot to denounce China’s human rights violations. The event was held to coincide with the Olympic Games held in Beijing in August 2008.
Galschiot and his staff went to Hong Kong to take part in the event but were denied entrance by the Hong Kong immigration
authorities.
Galschiøt later erected versions of the Pillar of Shame in cities around the world to protest against infringements against humanity.
Mexico
On 1 May 1999, a Pillar of Shame was set up on the Zócalo in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
. It stood for two days in front of the Parliament to protest the oppression of the region's indigenous people. The Pillar was later moved to a site at the entrance of the village of Acteal
Acteal
Acteal is a small village in the municipality of Chenalhó, in the Mexican state of Chiapas, about 20 km north of San Cristóbal de las Casas. It became known internationally at the end of 1997 for the massacre of 45 indigenous people....
in Chiapas
Chiapas
Chiapas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas is one of the 31 states that, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 118 municipalities and its capital city is Tuxtla Gutierrez. Other important cites in Chiapas include San Cristóbal de las...
, where 45 unarmed indigenous people were killed by a paramilitary group on 22 December 1997. The re-erection of the sculpture was attended by hundreds of local people. On 22 December 2003, plates in the local language Tzotzil
Tzotzil
The Tzotzil are an indigenous Maya people of the central Chiapas highlands in southern Mexico. As of 2000, they numbered about 290,000. The municipalities with largest Tzotzil population are Chamula , San Cristóbal de las Casas , and Zinacantan , in the Mexican state of Chiapas.The Tzotzil...
were donated to the inhabitants of Acteal. The original plates on the Pillar were in Spanish and English - languages that many indigenous people do not understand.
Brazil
On 17 April 2000 a Pillar of Shame was erected in front of the Brazilian Parliament in BrasíliaBrasília
Brasília is the capital city of Brazil. The name is commonly spelled Brasilia in English. The city and its District are located in the Central-West region of the country, along a plateau known as Planalto Central. It has a population of about 2,557,000 as of the 2008 IBGE estimate, making it the...
to commemorate 19 landless peasants who were killed by the military police in the northern state of Pará on
17 April 1996. It was mounted in co-operation with the
MST (the landless peasants movement
Landless Workers' Movement
Landless Workers' Movement is a social movement in Brazil; it is the second largest social movement in Latin America with an estimated 1.5 million landless members in 23 out of Brazil's 26 states. The MST states it carries out land reform in a country it sees as mired by unjust land distribution...
) and opposition MPs. The sculpture was erected despite exacerbated resistance from the right wing and sections of the government. The Minister of Justice said that: "This sculpture will never be set up in front of the Brazilian Parliament." On 1 May the Pillar of Shame was permanently erected in Belém
Belém
Belém is a Brazilian city, the capital and largest city of state of Pará, in the country's north region. It is the entrance gate to the Amazon with a busy port, airport and bus/coach station...
, capital of the northern
state of Pará, where the Eldorado massacre
Eldorado dos Carajás massacre
The Eldorado dos Carajás massacre was the killing of nineteen landless farmers who were demonstrating for the disappropriation of an unproductive ranch...
had taken place in connection with a land occupation. Mayor Edmilson Rodrigues declared at the inauguration: "Despite of resistance from the elite, we stick to our promise of setting up the Pillar of Shame as a symbol opposing oppression and violence that is taking a toll of lives and depriving people of
their rights".
COCOON
The Cocoon is a sculpture group made for the Danish exhibition in the Art Pavilion at the World Exhibition,Seville Expo '92
Seville Expo '92
The Universal Exposition of Seville took place from Monday, April 20 to Monday, October 12, 1992 on La Isla de La Cartuja , Seville, Spain. The theme for the Expo was "The Age of Discovery" and over 100 countries were represented...
, Spain. The Cocoon consists of 22 steel shields, each measuring
1.5 metres x 4 meters. The shields are penetrated by faces made of bronze. Galschiot contributed twenty bronze sculptures and a working silversmith’s workshop.
The exhibition was arranged in cooperation with The Mobile Gallery in Kolding that had received a 76 metre-long submarine as a gift from Gorbatjev. French artist Jean Dewasne was responsible for the outside ornamentation, Galschiot for the inside fitting up of the submarine. The vision of establishing a cultural growth centre for young unemployed in the submarine was never realised.
My inner beast
Galschiøt mounted one-ton heavy black concrete sculptures in famous places in twenty cities across Europe. The sculptures represent a pig in human clothes. The purpose was, in an untraditional way, to focus on the increasing violence, intolerance, racism and persecution of minorities, that Europe is witnessing these years. In November 1993 the twenty sculptures were erected within 55 hours without the knowledge of the authorities. The sculptures created a lot of commotion and debate in political circles, in the press and in the public. In several places a permanent position has been found for the sculpture that was a gift to each city. More than 100 volunteers contributed to the happening.The Beast - 10 years after
On the occasion of the 10th anniversary, Jens Galschiot and his staff initiated a search to findout what has happened to each of the 20 sculptures. The fate of the Beasts varies quite a lot. In some cities the statue has been hidden away or even destroyed. It is striking that all 3 sculptures set up in France have disappeared. Some rumours suggest that the Beasts have transformed themselves into MPs. However, to the artist this explanation seems too far-fetched. In other cities the Beast has found a prominent site. In Bonn it has even been incorporated in the German state’s art collection, and the statue also found a permanent place in Copenhagen, Milano, Barcelona and Innsbruck. The anniversary was celebrated during the European Social Forum 12–15 November 2003 in Paris where two Beasts participated in the big manifestation accompanied by Survival of the
Fattest and 14 Hunger Boys.