“To me, an artist is not primarily a creator, but
is rather a conduit—absorbing, translating,
and conveying messages of value to others,
living, or centuries yet to be born.”
each year to five people in the world
who had done the most against
slavery. I was asked to create the
bronze “Freedom Award.” Archbishop
Desmond Tutu, Ashton Kutcher, Demi
Moore, Sir Ken Robinson, Camilla
Belle, and many other noted people
presented my bronzes to these heroes,
who often did their good work under
threat of death from the slavers. I met
an incredible woman, Sina Van, who
was kidnapped in Cambodia and sold
to a brutal brothel with torture. After
some years, she broke free, went
to the police and was re-sold to the
brothel. She escaped again after some
years, and made it out of the country.
She created a foundation which has
saved thousands of women and girls
from slavery.
I was involved in anti–apartheid
work with Amnesty International in
South Africa in the 80s. One of the
more heroic and effective heroes who
opposed apartheid was Steve Biko.
He symbolized the struggle against
apartheid, and was the subject of the
film “Cry Freedom.” Denzel Washing-
ton played Steve in his first big role.
The leader of the Black Conscious-
ness movement, Steve was arrested
at a police roadblock in August 1977
and held under the country’s terror-
ism legislation. He was a non-violent
activist, and was beaten to death after
being thrown in jail for not having
the right papers. I sculpted a bust of
Biko, handcuffed around a pole. On
the bronze base, I sculpted in bas-re-
lief a falcon, bound with barbed wire.
I intended this piece of sculpture to
symbolize the ancient struggle against
the brutality of organized racism. On
the book in Steve Biko’s hand-cuffed
hand, I inscribed the Amnesty Inter-
national quote, “Better to light one
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