Chinese censorship rankles Thai art scene

Partial silencing of Bangkok exhibition has amplified its impact

A censored wall text at “Constellation of Complicity: Visualizing the Global Machinery of Authoritarian Solidarity.” Shortly after opening, the Bangkok Art and Culture Center exhibition became actively embroiled in the themes at its heart -- state repression and forms of resistance to it. (Photo by Max Crosbie-Jones)

MAX CROSBIE-JONES

September 24, 2025 08:00 JST

BANGKOK -- At the opening of an art exhibition about networks of authoritarianism in late July, one of its makers was anticipating a strong reaction. "There's a monumental level of risk to doing this kind of show," said Sai, an artist, curator and human rights defender from Myanmar. What he was not anticipating was having to leave Thailand because of a strong reaction from one of the countries in the exhibition's crosshairs.