In Bangkok, the Chinese embassy censors an exhibition on authoritarianism
The Chinese embassy in Thailand has requested the deletion of the word “China,” mentions of Tibet, Xinjiang, and Hong Kong, and the removal of several artworks from an exhibition devoted to solidarity between authoritarian states. This is ironic given the exhibition's very purpose and a sign of the country's vassalization, according to the Thai press.
The Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC), a well-known and respected exhibition space in Thailand for its avant-garde and independent work, is under fire after bowing to pressure from the Chinese embassy and censoring an exhibition.
An “incredibly ironic” situation, says the Thai daily Bangkok Post, as it highlights the very purpose of the exhibition entitled “ Constellation of Complicity: Visualizing the Global Machinery of Authoritarian Solidarity.” The event explores the formal and informal connections that exist between authoritarian states. On view until October 19, it brings together works by artists living in exile from Burma, Iran, Russia, Syria, and China.
On a wall at the entrance to the BACC, black tape now covers the word China, at the request of the Chinese Embassy in Thailand. The introductory text to the exhibition underlines the curators' intentions: “We are witnessing a new cartography: a shared grammar made visible by diplomacy, economic exchange, and militarized repression. These regimes collaborate, reinforce each other, and reproduce forms
Courrier International
