Australian consular officials in Poland will attend the opening of an exhibition in the country’s capital by Chinese-Australian artist Badiucao on Friday, to send a message to Chinese authorities who have allegedly tried to stop the show going ahead.
On Wednesday, Australia’s ambassador to Poland, Lloyd Brodrick, met Shanghai-born Australian artist Badiucao, as well as executives from the museum where the show is being held, Warsaw’s Ujazdowski Castle, Center for Contemporary Art (CCA Ujazdowski Castle).
Both Badiucao and the museum allege that China embassy representative Yao Dongye has visited the museum twice over the past two weeks, demanding the exhibition not go ahead.
Badiucao, who is based in Melbourne, uses art to explore censorship and human rights abuses in China, including the manipulation of historical memory about the Tiananmen massacre, the forced cultural assimilation of Uyghurs, pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, and China’s position on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
A spokesperson for Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed that Brodrick met the artist and museum executives on Wednesday.
“They discussed Badiucao’s work, his concerns in relation to personal safety and the support the Australian government was providing,” the spokesperson said.
“Australia is committed to supporting freedom of expression. Artists should be able to carry out their work consistent with the right to freedom of expression under international human rights law.
“Where it is within our jurisdiction, Australian government agencies will continue to take action to deter acts of foreign interference.”
Guardian Australia understands that Brodrick has also registered his concern for Badiucao’s personal safety with the Polish government and police.
The exhibition, titled Tell China’s Story Well, has been financed through the Polish government’s ministry of culture and national heritage.
Speaking from Warsaw on Thursday, Badiucao said that while he appreciates the support of the Australian embassy, he is calling on the Australian federal government to issue a formal statement condemning China’s alleged interference and intimidation.
Badiucao, a pseudonym the artist adopted originally to protect his anonymity, said fears for his personal safety and that of his family and friends back in mainland China have not been assuaged by the ambassador’s meeting.
“I receive death threats on a daily basis on Twitter or Instagram, but now I am experiencing such things as being followed by possible agents associated with the Chinese government, and a possible home invasion in Melbourne,” he said.
“A colleague working alongside me here says there are strange cars parked alongside his residence. I do not have confidence in my safety wherever I am.”
Badiucao said he revealed his identity after Chinese officials forced the closure of his first solo exhibition in 2018 in Hong Kong.
“My family were taken in for questioning by Shanghai Metro Security Police, people [working on the exhibition in Hong Kong] were frightened and getting threats,” he said.
“I realised the only way that I could protect them was by becoming irrelevant to them and so that’s what I do. I do not discuss my art practise with my China family or friends any more.”
On 9 June Ujazdowski Castle expressed its “concern and astonishment” after the Chinese diplomat entered the museum and demanded the exhibition be closed down. On 12 June, Yao Dongye visited the museum a second time to repeat his demand.
Letters had been sent to Poland’s Ministry of Culture and National Heritage “demanding censorial interference”, Ujazdowski Castle claimed, while the museum’s website was allegedly blocked in China.
“We read the actions indicated above as acts of preventive censorship, against which we strongly protest,” the museum’s statement said, which urged the public to support Badiucao by attending his exhibition, and to write letters to the Polish government to protest China’s actions.
Badiucao’s exhibition includes an image of Xi Jinping devouring a child, in style of Francisco Goya’s masterpiece Saturn.
“This image might be a little bit hard to look at, but it’s truthfully reflecting what is happening in China,” Badiucao said.
“A father is eating his child because he is afraid his son will uprise and replace him. This is exactly what is happening in China. We have this dictator who is so afraid of the younger generation who want reform in China, they would like to have democracy and freedom. Their [the Chinese government’s] methodology in dealing with that is to basically take their human rights away, one way or another.”
In response to a request for comment, the Chinese embassy in Canberra said China-Australia relations currently “maintain a good momentum of development, which is in the fundamental interests of the two countries and peoples” and urged the media to do stories “conducive” to that relationship.
