The Empty Chair by Maarten Baas for Amnesty International
Dutch designer Maarten Baas designed this chair with a ladder-back reaching into the sky for human rights charityAmnesty International.
The name of the five-metre design, The Empty Chair, refers to Chinese Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo who was unable to receive the prize in person last year as he had been imprisoned.
Baas will present the piece in Amsterdam on Saturday to mark the the 50th anniversary of Amnesty International.
The information below is from Maarten Baas:
On invitation of Amnesty International, and in honor of the Chinese Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo, Maarten Baas has designed The Empty Chair.
Amnesty International invited Maarten Baas to design a piece to support their campaign against the increased suppression of writers, journalists, artists and activists.
In 2010 Liu Xiaobo was awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize for his peaceful battle for fundamental human rights. Liu Xiaobo could not accept the prize in person, because he was in jail serving a 11 year imprisonment for ‘undermining of the state’.
Therefore, The Empty Chair of Liu Xiaobo became a symbol for repression.
The design of “The Empty Chair” will soon be available in the form of an exclusive pin.