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

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.