Uyghur-related works were pulled from a Bangkok art show after Chinese embassy pressure, with terms like “Hong Kong,” “Tibet,” and “Uyghur” deleted and artists’ identities obscured.
One of Thailand’s leading art venues, the Bangkok Arts and Cultural Centre, removed or altered works from an exhibition on authoritarian governments that addressed China’s treatment of ethnic minorities and Hong Kong, following a request from Beijing. According to curator Sai and communications seen by Reuters, the changes affected pieces by Tibetan and Uyghur artists, and included the removal of the words “Hong Kong,” “Tibet,” and “Uyghur” from displays.
Sai said that three days after the July 24 opening of Constellation of Complicity: Visualising the Global Machinery of Authoritarian Solidarity, Chinese embassy officials, accompanied by Bangkok city staff, visited the exhibition and demanded its closure. On July 30, the gallery informed organisers that, due to pressure from the Chinese embassy relayed via Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, the show risked creating diplomatic tensions, leaving the gallery “no choice” but to make adjustments.
Removed works included Tibetan and Uyghur flags, postcards featuring Chinese President Xi Jinping, and pieces referencing links between China and Israel. Some video screens were left blank, while a film by a Uyghur artist was shown with her name blacked out.
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