Artist wants safe passage in Hong Kong to remove sculpture

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A Danish artist who is seeking to retrieve his sculpture in Hong Kong commemorating the victims of China’s 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown wants safe passage guaranteed for himself and his employees when they dismantle and remove the artwork called “Pillar of Shame,” which is at the center of a controversy. Jens Galschioet said Friday that his presence in Hong Kong is “necessary” because the 8-meter tall (26.25 feet), two-ton sculpture is “very difficult to move … without causing significant and irreparable damage.” He wants to bring the sculpture back to Denmark.