TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The New School for Democracy (華人民主書院協會) hosted a press conference on Thursday (May 23) at the central corridor of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, marking the 35th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests.
The event, titled "Pursuing Democracy Fearlessly - 35th Anniversary Evening of June 4th" along with the "Life and Death, Forgotten: 35th Anniversary Art Exhibition of June 4th," calls for global attention to the expansion of authoritarianism.
Tseng Chien-yuan (曾建元), the standing director of the New School for Democracy, emphasized that commemorating the June 4th incident is not only about focusing on China's democracy issues but also about paying attention to the expansion of Chinese authoritarianism from a universal values perspective. He highlighted the People's Liberation Army's military exercises around Taiwan following the inauguration of Taiwan's new president, Lai Ching-te (賴清德), as a blatant challenge to Taiwan's democracy.
Art and Memory
Wu Renhua (吳仁華), a survivor of the Tiananmen Square protests, expressed his hope that the commemorative activities would enlighten more young people about the nature of the Chinese Communist Party and the importance of preserving Taiwan's democratic and free way of life. Chen Wei-lun (陳韋綸), the curator of the "Life and Death, Forgotten: 35th Anniversary Art Exhibition of June 4th," conveyed through a proxy reader his aspiration to use art as a medium to shed light on previously untouched issues.
The art exhibition, a collaborative effort between curators from Taiwan and Hong Kong, themed around "the warehouse of memory," features 18 artists from around the world. Running until June 13, the exhibition focuses on human rights, freedom of speech, artistic freedom, and political oppression, aiming to foster a deeper understanding of these critical issues.