CHINESE AMBASSADOR’S VISIT LEADS DHAKA ART SUMMIT TO CENSOR TIBETAN ARTWORK

Work by filmmakers Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam on display at the Dhaka Art Summit was censored after pressure from Chinese officials. According to Pallavi Pundir and Vandana Kalra in the Indian Express, China’s ambassador to Bangladesh reportedly visited the art festival on Saturday and “found the works offensive,” according to Sonam, who is Tibetan and was born to parents in exile. Titled Last Words, the piece memorialized 149 Tibetans who have set themselves on fire in protest against China’s policies in Tibet by sharing letters that several of the protesters wrote before their deaths. Organizers ended up covering the five frames comprising the work with white sheets of paper.

“We were told by the curator that he exploded as soon as he saw it and asked the works to be removed immediately or face consequences,” Sonam reported. Speaking about the organizers’ response, he added: “We understand their position. They are trying to frame an appropriate response. With an event of such magnitude, one can’t really take any chance.”