An art exhibition in Thailand has emerged at the centre of international concerns over censorship by China after some artworks by Tibetan, Uyghur and Hong Kong artists were removed or altered following an alleged pressure campaign by Beijing.
The exhibition at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) by Burmese artist Sai opened on 26 July, featuring artwork by exiles from China, Russia and Iran.
Titled Constellation of Complicity: Visualising the Global Machinery of Authoritarian Solidarity, the show aimed to expose the collaborative repression tactics of authoritarian governments.
However, just three days later, Chinese embassy staff, accompanied by Bangkok city officials, visited the BACC and demanded the removal of elements critical of Beijing’s policies.
The Independent has reached out to BACC for a comment.
The co-curator, Sai fled Thailand for the UK with his wife on 29 July, fearing deportation to Myanmar, where he believed he would be punished by the military-run junta for his activism.
After the Chinese official and Thai police’s intervention, the exhibition was forced to remove Tibetan and Uyghur flags, a novel about a Tibetan family in exile, and a film by Tibetan artist Tenzin Mingyur Paldron addressing the Dalai Lama.
References to “Tibet”, “Hong Kong”, and “Uyghur” were obscured with black paint while television screens meant to display Paldron’s films were switched off, and artists’ names were redacted.
Sai told Reuters China’s response showed it was “engaging in systematic political manipulation far beyond its borders”, such as in his own country, where Beijing backs the ruling military.
He said if the Chinese government’s claims about ethnic minorities were true, there would have been no need to send officials “into galleries in Thailand, no need to black out artists’ names, and no need to threaten institutions into compliance”.
“Censorship is never the weapon of those confident in the strength of their ideas,” he said, describing it as “tragically ironic” in another interview.
The Chinese foreign ministry said the exhibition distorted Chinese policies and “undermined China’s core interests and political dignity”.
It neither confirmed nor denied that the Chinese embassy was behind the alterations.
“The fact that the relevant country took timely measures precisely shows that the promotion of the fallacies of ‘Tibetan independence’, ‘East Turkestan Islamic Movement’ and ‘Hong Kong independence’ has no market internationally and is unpopular,” it added.
Thailand’s police denied that officers were looking for Sai in a response to the BBC.
The Human Rights Foundation labelled it “intimidation”, reflecting a coordinated effort to suppress artistic expression.
“HRF strongly condemns an order issued by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to remove artworks by artists from Tibet, the Uyghur Region, and Hong Kong,” it said.
“This instance of intimidation reflects the CCP’s broader pattern of suppressing artistic expression overseas, which is facilitated by the cooperation of authoritarian governments, such as Thailand, who are continuing to acquiesce to the CCP’s demands.”
Yalkun Uluyol, a China researcher at Human Rights Watch, said, “Beijing should stop its repression against critics abroad. Others should resist such transnational repression to protect rights.”
Campaign for Uyghurs called it yet another example of “Beijing exporting censorship abroad, silencing art and activism that expose its human rights abuses”.
“Authoritarian repression doesn’t stop at China’s borders; it targets truth wherever it’s told.”
The exhibition remains open at the BACC but in its censored form, with an expected end date in October 2025.
Visitor numbers have surged due to online buzz about the controversy, turning the censorship into unintended publicity for the exhibition.
The controversy has renewed debate over China’s sophisticated systems of censorship, aimed at controlling information, silencing dissent, and shaping public opinion both domestically and abroad. The ruling Communist Party employs a vast digital firewall, strict publishing controls, and pressure campaigns to stifle content it deems politically sensitive or damaging to its image.
In 2010, when imprisoned dissident Liu Xiaobo won the Nobel Peace Prize, Chinese media blacked out coverage, and online searches for his name were restricted. His death in custody in 2017 was also heavily censored.
Chinese authorities also restricted information on social media, and news about the coronavirus outbreak and posts questioning the government’s handling of the pandemic were deleted en masse.
Oasis faces backlash in South Korea over controversial sunrise video
Hong Kong’s population stabilises for first time in a decade
Trump’s foreign aid cuts have ‘strengthened tyranny’ in Myanmar, rights groups say
Jimmy Lai’s landmark trial delayed by Hong Kong rain warning
K2 climber killed by rockfall while descending from world’s second tallest mountain
Chinese military ‘expels’ US warship from disputed South China Sea waters
