2 Drawings, ink and pencil crayon on vellum, 17” x 22” each; texts in English and Chinese, 8” x 10” each; 4 sandblasted glass plates, 12” x 12” x ½” each
MEMORANDUM is a conceptual proposal for a garden memorial commemorating the Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing on June 4, 1989. Designed for the central courtyard at the Chinese Cultural Centre, it would consist of white lotuses in a concentric circular pond with lotuses, surrounding a central planting of peonies and chrysanthemums, all white.
The proposal was first exhibited at the Chinese Cultural Centre in September 1989 as part of a show of Chinese Canadian artists. Ensuing discussions among the organization’s board whether to remove the artwork because its content was considered controversial resulted in its relocation from its original installation place to a secluded part of the exhibition space behind a fire escape.
