The Goddess of Democracy was a 10-meter-tall (33 ft) statue created during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 in Beijing, China. The statue was constructed in only four days out of foam and papier-mâché over a metal armature. The constructors decided to make the statue as large as possible so the government would be unable to dismantle it. The government would either have to destroy the statue—an action which would potentially fuel further criticism of its policies—or leave it standing. Despite these efforts, the statue was destroyed by soldiers clearing the square of protesters, but has been copied a number of times.
Untitled (Tate), by Fischli & Weiss was commissioned to form part of the opening displays of Tate Modern when it opened in 2000. Its collection of everyday objects, resembling a workshop, were each individually handmade and in part designed to mimic the working environment of the Tate Modern gallery prior to it’s opening.
