When Art Becomes a Target

A new exhibition named “Constellation of Simplicity” in Bangkok was meant to explore how authoritarian governments cooperate across borders. Instead, it became an example of cross-border repression itself. The show’s curator, Sai — a Myanmar artist living in exile — found himself fleeing Thailand only two days after the opening. Museum directors warned him that Thai police were asking for his information, raising fears he might be deported back to Myanmar.

Pressure escalated quickly. Chinese authorities demanded that the museum erase the names and works of artists from Hong Kong, Tibet and Xinjiang. While the exhibition remained open, the institution blacked out those artists’ names and removed symbolic flags, turning a space meant for free expression into a quietly censored one.

The censorship was selective: works criticizing Myanmar’s junta, Iran or Russia stayed untouched. Only pieces tied to China’s most sensitive regions were targeted — a reminder of Beijing’s growing influence in Southeast Asia.

For Sai, now in London, the experience underscores a shrinking global space for political art. Yet he says he has no regrets and hopes to bring the exhibition to places where it can be shown freely.

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