Artist Xiao Lu boycotts exhibition amid CCP propaganda concerns in Sydney art scene

In this recent incident, a globally recognized artist has taken a firm stance to prevent Sydney from turning into a hotspot for the Chinese government to flaunt artworks that the repressive regime nods to.

Xiao Lu: Shun This Exhibition, Resist against the CCP

Advocating a boycott of an exhibition that prominently showcased her work, Sydney-based artist Xiao Lu aims to alert theart community about the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) using art as a covert tool for propaganda.

During the 2024 Sydney Festival event, In Our Time: Four Decades of Art from China and Beyond – The Geoff Raby Collection,a piece of Xiao Lu's work is included. Although invited to the exhibition opening, which conveniently took place within a 15-minute bus ride from her residence, Xiao Lu not only declined the invitation but also discouraged the art circle and the public from participating in the event.

Xiao Lu's decision to boycott the exhibition is rooted in her concerns regarding Geoff Raby, the former Australian Ambassador to China and a notable collector of Chinese contemporary art. Raby is also the founder of a Beijing-based consulting firm that promotes business operations. Notably, Raby has publicly expressed pro-China government sentiments, and has even endorsed their crackdown on protests advocating for freedom in Hong Kong.

"Open Fire" Being Mistitled and Depoliticised

Monetarily speaking, Xiao Lu's decision to oppose Raby may be viewed as unwise, given that many Chinese artists depend on collectors like him as a crucial source of income. Nevertheless, Xiao Lu was compelled by various reasons to take a stand against the exploitation of art as a tool for CCP propaganda. Above all, she found it disconcerting to witness Chinese dissent artworks being silenced, a factor that fueled her determination to prevent such silencing within the artistic realm.

Xiao Lu observed a conspicuous absence of political dissent challenging the CCP's "main theme" within Raby's collection. Her piece "Open Fire" stood out as one of the rare exceptions directly confronting the CCP. However, during the exhibition, this work was mistakenly titled as "Dialogue," an error that mischaracterized its political nature. It is noteworthy that "Dialogue" was another piece by her, openly acknowledged by her as non-political art.

Adding to Xiao Lu's dissatisfaction was that the mislabeling had persisted for over a year. In 2022, the Raby's Collection exhibition, bearing the same name as the Sydney exhibition, debuted in Victoria for the first time. Bala Starr, the curator for both exhibitions and the director of La Trobe Art Institute at La Trobe University, touted Xiao Lu's work as one of the three "must-see" works in the 2022 exhibition. However, she misidentified the piece, labelling it as "Dialogue".

Despite Xiao Lu's prior correction request, when the exhibition opened in Sydney over a year later on January 18, 2024, the displayed work's title had still not been rectified. When a reporter from Radio Free Asia (RFA) pointed out the error to Raby and Starr, both claimed to be unaware of it and took no immediate action. Instead, they offered assurances of conducting further verification without addressing the issue promptly.

As expressed to RFA, Xiao Lu criticized Raby for lacking collector rigour, emphasizing that basic details of the work appear unimportant to him. Consequently, she suggested that the credibility of his statements might be open to doubt.

Xiao Lu expressed her bewilderment to RFA regarding the mislabeling of "Open Fire." While the puzzle surrounding this error remains, a noticeable and undeniable fact emerges - the work had been depoliticized. Given that "Dialogue" is Xiao Lu's most renowned piece, information emphasizing its apolitical nature is widespread. The risk arises when individuals mistakenly associate "Open Fire" with "Dialogue," potentially leading them to information about the apolitical work and overlooking the conversations surrounding its political nature.

Dissent Art Challenging the CCP Muted in Sydney

Xiao's boycott sheds light on the broader issue of silencing Chinese dissent art in Australia. In Sydney, government-affiliated art institutions, including state-run galleries and public tertiary education sector art institutes, exhibit a tendency, whether intentional or unintentional, not to diverge from CCP-sanctioned aesthetics. This alignment, whether coincidental or not, raises concerns about potential threats to freedom of expression that should not be overlooked.

To comprehend the scale of the issue, it is crucial to examine the following facts:

Sydney Festival:

The Raby's Collection exhibition is a part of the 2024 Sydney Festival.

The National Art School:

The National Art School has provided the central space in Sydney for the Raby's Collection exhibition.

Art Gallery of New South Wales:

Within the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), encountering an art lecture by a CCP officer is more likely than witnessing an exhibition critiquing the current Chinese government. In fact, Zhao Shengliang, the speaker of an October 2023 lecture at AGNSW featuring the art of Dunhuang Grottoes, holds the position of CCP Committee Secretary at the Academic Committee of Dunhuang Academy in Lanzhou, China.

The University of Sydney:

The Chau Chak Wing Museum at the University of Sydney hosts various Chinese art exhibitions, notably lacking dissent art that challenges the CCP.

It is worth highlighting that the museum is named after a controversial figure. Liberal MP Andrew Hastie has asserted that Chau had a close relationship with the CCP. The late Labor MP Kimberley Kitching even suggested that Chau was a "puppeteer" in a foreign interference plot investigated by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO). In response to Kitching's allegations, Chau rejected them while ASIO refused to provide comments.

The University of Technology Sydney:

Located at the heart of Sydney, the Dr. Chau Chak Wing Building, a business school building at the University of Technology Sydney, was designed by Pritzker Architecture Prize winner Frank Gehry. It is named after the same controversial figure mentioned earlier, Dr. Chau Chak Wing.

Western Sydney University:

Western Sydney University (UWS) has played a significant role in showcasing Chinese art exhibitions since the establishment of the Australia-China Institute for Arts and Culture (ACIAC). The institute was founded after a substantial donation promise of 3.5 million Australian Dollars by Huang Xiangmo in 2015.

Jing Han served as the director of the ACIAC. Her UWS webpage revealed her deep involvement with CGTV, a crucial component of China's state-run propaganda machinery. Han was noted as the "executive producer of the English edition of the100-episode documentary series A History of China commissioned by CGTV China".

In 2019, Huang Xiangmo was expelled from Australia on national security grounds. A 2020 report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, titled "Foreign Interference and the Chinese Communist Party's United Front System", outlined the workings of foreign interference through the CCP's united front system, responsible for influencing groups outside the party. The report highlighted Huang Xiangmo's role for the CCP as "one of the most informative cases of united-front-linked influence efforts" in Australia.

Following Huang Xiangmo's expulsion, the ACIAC was rebranded as the Institute for Australian and Chinese Arts and Culture (IAC), with Han Jing as the current director. Notably, both institutes have consistently refrained from featuring any exhibitions containing dissent art challenging the CCP.

UNSW:

At UNSW, Paul Gladston, the Judith Neilson Chair of Contemporary Art, stands as one of Australia's foremost authorities on Chinese contemporary art. Renowned for his stance on the apolitical nature of post-Mao avant-garde art in China, Gladston argues that, unlike their European counterparts, Chinese avant-gardes since the 1970s aimed to preserve the purity of art, running parallel (while not challenging either) to the state's political mobilization and propaganda efforts. While his perspective on avant-garde art in post-Mao China is debatable and warrants further scrutiny, one confirmed fact remains: Gladston and his arguments pose no threat to the CCP.

This is evident in the positive coverage Gladston receives from China's state media, Xinhua.com. The media outlet went to the extent of highlighting his presence at an event organized by the China Cultural Center Sydney, an entity directly overseen by a Chinese government official. Given that Xinhua.com is a significant mouthpiece for the authoritarian regime, such positive coverage suggests that Gladston's views, intentionally or unintentionally, align with approvals from the CCP, making him an unlikely target for criticism or opposition.

The Biennale of Sydney:

In 2014, the Belgiorno-Nettis family withdrew their sponsorship from the Biennale just days before the show's opening. Subsequently, major sponsors for the Biennale changed every two years until 2022 when Mirvac initiated a 5-year sponsorship.

The Biennale of Sydney has been a platform for prominently showcasing various political artworks that scrutinize the CCP. Notable among these include Zhao Zhao's 'Constellation' in 2014, depicting images associated with the violent crackdown during the 1989 protests in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.

In 2016, the Biennale featured "Ranjang Hujan" (The Raining Bed) by Indonesian artist FXHarsono, exploring the history of ethnic tensions in South Eastern Asia, partly rooted in the misperception of Chinese ex-pats as proxies of the CCP.

However, a shift occurred in 2018 when the Biennale did not include any artworks that might upset the CCP in any way. This marked a departure from previous years, raising questions about the evolving dynamics between artistic freedom and external influences on the Biennale's content.

Notably, the Biennale in 2018 received support from its Principal Partner, TWT, the Sydney-based property group whose parent company TWT Global in China was founded and led by entrepreneur TinaTian. Tian has garnered positive coverage in Chinese state-run media, including Chinanews.com.cn, which is affiliated with the United Front Work Department of the Central Committee of the CCP, and Huanqiu.com, which is also owned by the CCP.

Following TWT's cessation of sponsorship, the Biennale regained the liberty to feature content that might be sensitive to the CCP. In 2020, the Biennale showcased a short film created by Mayaw Biho, an Indigenous activist from the Amis/Pangcah tribe in Taiwan who is actively resisting Chinese colonization.

The trend persisted in 2022, as the Biennale prominently showcased an in creased representation of Taiwanese Indigenous artists. It's crucial to note that the Chinese government consistently avoids acknowledging the Taiwanese Indigenous status of First Nations, instead classifying them as "minorities". Presenting artworks that highlight the cultural autonomy of Taiwanese Indigenous communities, as opposed to depicting Taiwanese Indigenous subordination to the broader Chinese nationality, definitely exceeded the boundaries set by the CCP.

A pertinent question arises: What happened in 2018? Is it purely coincidental that, with the introduction of Chinese financial support, content potentially upsetting to the CCP was abstained from? This raises questions that the Biennale ought to address, inviting public scrutiny and judgment on the matter.

Xiao Lu Battling CCP's Artistic Influence in Sydney

Amidst this backdrop, asserting that the Sydney art scene is perilously close to becoming a playground for CCP propaganda is no exaggeration. Thus, Xiao Lu's call for vigilance against CCP propaganda infiltrating the Sydney art scene is both valid and necessary. The Raby Collection is not an isolated endeavour driven by a sole "Sinophile", as portrayed by some; rather, it is a strategic part of a broader campaign to wield soft power by showcasing CCP-approved artworks carefully curated to avoid unsettling the repressive regime.

Xiao Lu's boycott serves as a defiant stand to prevent Sydney from unwittingly becoming a haven for CCP's sanctioned aesthetics, inundated with artworks from or about China that strategically sidestep any challenge to the oppressive regime. This is why the public should rally behind her, supporting the resistance against CCP's narrative controls in Australia.