FREE CHINA

FREE TIBET

19 – 31 October 2012, NOTES

Tibetan independence activist Tenzin Tsundue highlights in one of his essay – a FREE TIBET is not possible without a FREE CHINA.

The People’s Republic of China continues to occupy Tibet (considerably bigger in area than the current Tibetan Autonomous Region) and Inner Mongolia.

Most Chinese citizens are living under a brutally capitalist/communist political regime that denies its people basic human rights.

What complex nexus binds India, Tibet and China together?

The artwork in this project lies in the place of action, where it activates a discussion with and amongst the local population in public spaces.

I started by stamping currency notes of my fellow artists. While no one objected to participate, very quickly several intense discussions erupted amongst us in the first few days –

Does the currency note still retain its monetary value?
What if shopkeepers don’t accept the note?
Will the bank accept these notes?
Can this bring on charges of sedition?
What if local Tibetans face harassment because of these freely circulating notes? 
Am I willing to deal with state and possibly non-state actors were they to charge me with sedition?

I decided to speak to two lawyers for clarity. One said that this question was a Bermuda’s triangle, without clear laws. There are laws dealing with forgery and defacement but stamping notes like this was neither of those. The other said that, as per the RBI policy you cannot write, place a rubber stamp or any other mark on a currency note. But if one does, then what are the consequences?

How often do you see something scribbled on a currency note?

Is it always necessary to accept laws and work within their narrow confines? Shouldn’t laws be constantly reviewed?

In light of these discussions, I decided to scale back the scope of the project.

I didn’t want any form of documentation of the project to come in the way of the spontaneous reactions or conversations with random strangers that followed when the notes were presented to them. 

If you are excited by this idea, please take one stamp or make your own stamp in the local language of your area and use liberally.