Guo Jian held after interview in which he described artwork to commemorate massacre of pro-democracy protesters in 1989

Chinese police have detained an Australian artist in Beijing, according to friends, as part of a severe crackdown on attempts to commemorate the bloody repression of pro-democracy protests that began in Tiananmen Square 25 years ago.

Guo Jian, 52, texted friends to say that officers had come for him hours after the publication of an interview he gave discussing the crackdown. It included his description of a work he had created to mark the anniversary: a diorama of Tiananmen Square that he had covered in 160kg of minced pork.

Hundreds if not thousands are believed to have died in the bloody crackdown that began on 3 June 1989 after weeks of student-led pro-reform protests that drew mass support from ordinary citizens across the country. The authorities have long suppressed attempts to discuss the events and mourn the dead, from harassing the parents of victims to banning searches for the words "remember" and "today" on microblogs.

Rights groups say this year about 50 people have been detained or have vanished in the runup to the 25th anniversary. Others have been charged with offences carrying prison terms of several years for holding a private memorial gathering.

Artist Melanie Wang told the Sydney Morning Herald she had spoken to Guo by phone shortly after police arrived at his home in Beijing. He told her he was being taken to a detention centre and officers said he would be released in 15 days.

A spokesman for the Australian department of foreign affairs and trade said: "The Australian embassy in Beijing has contacted Chinese authorities to seek further information on the reported detention of Mr Guo Jian and to underline our strong interest in the matter. The Australian government stands ready to extend all possible consular assistance to Mr Guo."

The Australian foreign minister, Julie Bishop, said the detention was "just a report at this stage" and the Australian embassy was making enquiries.

"As an Australian citizen we'll do what we can to release him if the case is he's been detained," she told Sky News.

Amnesty International said the Guo case was part of a "merciless campaign of repression" by Chinese authorities ahead of the Tiananmen anniversary.

"He along with the scores of others detained for peacefully speaking out about the bloodshed of 1989 must be immediately released," said William Nee, an Amnesty spokesman. "This current wave of detentions ahead of 4 June is harsher than in recent years."

In his interview with the Financial Times, Guo, who was born in Beijing, described participating in the hunger strike in 1989 and the crackdown that followed. The former soldier recalled: "In the army I had never seen that sort of violence. Then I saw the tracers and people falling around me – they were just gone. I suddenly realised, shit, this was war."

He moved to Sydney three years later, staying in Australia for 13 years and gaining citizenship.

Another artist – 43-year-old Chen Guang – was detained last month after holding a private art event for friends that touched obliquely upon the events of June 1989.

As a soldier in 1989, Chen had confronted student protesters and then helped to clear the square following the suppression of the demonstrations.

Five others have been charged with "causing a disturbance" for meeting privately at a Beijing flat in late April to mark the anniversary. It is believed to be the first time such an event has led to charges, though participants in previous years have faced harassment.

Those charged were prominent human rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang, blogger Liu Di, and scholars Xu Youyong, Hao Jian and Hu Shigen, who was jailed for 16 years after planning memorial activities in 1992.

Ma Gangquan, one of Liu's lawyers, told Reuters that officers complained the group had created an impact abroad and domestically by posting a photograph of the meeting on the internet. "The police said if you hold this forum at home and no one knows about it, that's no problem," Ma added.

The European Union has issued a statement expressing concern at the charges against the five and other recent arrests and detentions, urging authorities to release all those imprisoned for peacefully expressing their views.

It also urged authorities to ensure independent and adequate medical care for detainees. There is concern about the health of several of those held, particularly after activist Cao Shunli died in March, having been denied treatment in custody.

Families of the victims are used to harassment in the runup to the anniversary, but Ding Zilin, the founder of the Tiananmen Mothers group, and her husband, Jiang Peikun, have been prevented from returning to Beijing – meaning that they cannot hold a private memorial for their son in the city he died, as they have previously been able to do.

The group has defiantly released a series of video interviews with relatives, filmed earlier this year, via Human Rights in China.

The Foreign Correspondents Club of China condemned the increasing harassment and intimidation of overseas media and their local staff, noting that some had been summoned by public security officers and given videotaped lectures dissuading them from reporting on the anniversary.