Over the last few weeks the laneway at Union Lane has been painted up by the Blender crew and a bunch of their friends, but this weekend brings something a little different.

Aiming to bring attention to the current political situation in Tibet, Heesco will be painting a large, politically themed piece right on the corner of the busy thoroughfare adjoining Little Collins St. He is hoping that the piece, based on the recent events surrounding the self-immolation of Buddhist monks within Tibet, will make people stop and think. Hailing from Mongolia, a country which suffered for many years under enforced communist rule by the Soviet Union, Heesco is highly empathetic towards those seeking freedom and democratic rule in Tibet.

“There was a small protest on in Tibet for Chinese New Year, and at the protest they opened fire on the crowd and killed three people. It made it to the Age today – but there hasn’t been a lot of coverage.

I was reading this one website that had reports about the self-immolation, and it said that the police, after the investigation, concluded that the former monk was found having an affair with his best friend’s wife – which was why he set himself on fire. That’s how they spin it, you know? It’s crazy. You read stuff like that and there’s always an explanation.

The Chinese are like: “Why aren’t they happy? We’re giving you infrastructure and building things for you, why aren’t you happy? That’s what they say …

I’d just like it if, maybe, people can bring cameras along, take photos and post it to their Facebook pages. It would really make a difference – the whole thing is about raising awareness of the issue, so the more people who can share it, the better!”

Who: Heesco
What: Free Tibet: Live Art
Where: Union Lane, Melbourne CBD
When: Saturday 28th January, from 10am onwards

Check out Heesco’s website, as well as some of the photos from the Union Lane paint-up we put up a little while ago. We will also be posting photos of Heesco’s piece after it’s finished, so make sure to come back and see it for yourself.