A Chinese-Australian artist has been detained by Chinese police amid a crackdown on attempts to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre.

Guo Jian, 52, notified friends on Sunday that he was being taken from his Beijing home before they lost contact with him.

He had recently finished a piece of art work showing Tiananmen Square covered in meat.

Guo Jian spoke to the ABC three weeks ago while working on the piece.

“I mean if the police come in I’ll definitely be shaking, but I think it’s because I’ve been through a lot of things like this as well and you get a little bit stronger,” he told the ABC.

Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs says it is troubled by the report.

Human rights groups say more than 50 people have either been detained, arrested or “disappeared” in recent weeks.

The anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre is on Wednesday.