The following article is a collaboration with Disruption Network Lab , in the context of its 24th Conference “POWERS OF TRUTH” which took place between 1-3 October 2021. More information is found at the end of the article.

On 26 October 2021, I had the pleasure to interview Badiucao, the world renowned artist and dissident from China, currently living in exile in Australia. After failing to arrange a call earlier in the month, I rushed to contact him upon learning of his upcoming exhibition in Brescia (Italy), titled China is (not) near: Badiucao, which has been attacked by the Chinese Embassy’s cultural office and threatened to be censored. 

As an Italian myself, I was curious to understand what prompted Badiucao to choose Brescia as its preferred venue for his exhibition. He explained it was an old friend’s suggestion – art curator Elettra Stamboulis - who initially pitched the idea of Brescia as cultural centre, in light of the internationally acclaimed festival the city hosts, named Peace, which traditionally invites human rights supporter artists. Notably, in its 2019 edition, the festival featured Kurdish dissident artists exiled from Turkey, who have endured political imprisonment there. As such, Brescia seemed to be the ideal location to continue the tradition of supporting human rights defenders and promoting their art.

Badiucao’s exhibition was due to happen in October 2020, but was postponed until 2021 due to COVID- related restrictions and delays, which hit particularly hard in the Northern areas of Italy, including Brescia. Despite the circumstances, it presented a unique and special opportunity for Badi, who struggled with having his own space and gallery to exhibit his art. His native China was a no-go from the outset, because of national security concerns; Australia was equally unsuitable, he explained, because of the tangible influence China retains on Australian people and culture, which extends to cultural institutions and its curators. The latter appear to be rather scared of the Chinese influence, as they rely heavily on the Chinese market for funding and subsistence.

For more than three years, the only opportunity for Badiucao to exhibit his art in Australia was at the Street Art Festival in 2019. He shared his frustration with me by stressing how the Festival is not an institution, nor a museum, let alone a commercial gallery, which significantly curbs his market penetration and impact.

Before Brescia, Badiucao has had chances to showcase his pieces in the United States: he held a residency programme in San Francisco, and subsequently an outdoor exhibition at the 2021 edition of the Olso Freedom Fund , held in Miami and organised by the Human Rights Foundation .

While in the States, Badiucao collaborated with Turkish NBA player and outspoken human rights advocate Enes Kanter – now known as Enes Freedom – to produce “protest shoes“  displaying “Anti-Beijing” slogans, criticising the Communist regime’s abuses and violent dissent suppression, with particular reference to “Beijing’s state-sponsored oppression against the Uyghurs ,” forced labour, and the Tibetan occupation.

But the Italian exhibition is pivotal for another reason: it constitutes Badiucao’s first major solo art exhibition in his entire career, and truly provides him with the opportunity to showcase all the work that did not get a chance to be displayed in Hong Kong in 2018. This represents Badiucao’s core art portfolio, portraying his entire career’s evolution, from its inception, till present date. What this portfolio conveys is an ever-expanding definition of art, which exudes from Badiucao’s varied art practice, which spans from political illustrations, to oil paintings, installations, performance art, and general gallery practice.

The Exhibition: La Cina non è Vicina (China is not near)

As for its content, the exhibition, on display at the Santa Giulia Museum until 13 February 2022, will feature a series of portraits, immortalising the image of China’s famous Covid-19 early whistleblower, Doctor Li Wenliang. Badiucao explains how this concept can be easily introduced in the exhibition, by virtue of the similarities that the Northern city of Brescia has faced at the outset of the pandemic, when the emergency status was at its peak: Brescia was heavily damaged by the pandemic’s initial aftermath, and its people suffered quietly, similarly to the turmoil endured by the people in Wuhan.

Doctor Wenliang’s story, which is officially censored by the Chinese government, is the story of how a pandemic could have been avoided, or, at the very least, curbed from the start. It unravels uncomfortable questions about Chinese values, Badiucao told me. He believes that his work will expose China’s internal governmental issues, alongside its seemingly tilted moral compass. He also is optimist that his work will provide a reasonable portrayal of China’s missteps, to hold its government accountable, as opposed to unsubstantiated, biased, and offensive racist conspiracy theories.

Next to the portrait series, Badiucao curated a display of Wuhan residents’ diaries during the lockdown period - a selection of 100-day diaries – where the spectator is confronted with just how brutal and severe the situation truly was: the diaries serve as a medium to fully expose China’s lies on how sophisticated and efficient the Chinese contingencies plans and decontamination practices were. They provide an excellent record of history that can be used to defeat harmful Chinese propaganda in the future, as they embody the thinking and experiences of ordinary citizens. They constitute a free and safe environment for the Chinese people, who are not much different from the people in Brescia: both, and all, pursuing their fundamental human rights and dignity.

The question arises on whether the diaries can be classed as an artwork. Badiucao explained how he obtained the diaries via social media, giving a voice to the people who cannot express themselves as they are being forcibly silenced by their governments. In this way, the diaries represent an expanded form of art, which transcends the material creation of the particular artist, encapsulating a higher message of freedom.

The pretence of human rights universalism

Mid-call, I decide to ask a purposely provocative question, addressing the criticism directed at the pretence of “universalism” of human rights and the way they are understood. I hint at the argument advanced by the CCCP in stating that the Chinese nation and its people simply hold an entirely different value-system from that of the West, placing collectivism and sacrifice ahead of individual rights. Badi immediately proceeded to dismantle this argument systematically, by stating that the CCCP has the least authority to discuss the realities and values of the Chinese people’s culture: if we look at history, he says, we will quickly understand that the CCCP is responsible for destroying Chinese culture from its core, repeatedly - the real root of Chinese culture has been annihilated, he sadly asserts. Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution provides a very crude example of said destruction, which effectively amounted to a cultural purge , and constituted the most brutal example of instrumentalised nationalism used to promote the regime’s propaganda.

Interestingly, Badiucao brings into the discourse the philosophy of Confucius, which notably celebrates individualism, as opposed to the collectivist cultural claims mentioned above. However, Badiucao is cautious in praising Confucius unconditionally, and briefly explains to me how his philosophy was manipulated by Chinese emperors throughout history as a practice to advance merciless authoritarianism and personal power.

Famously, the Ching dynasty, under which China was united for the first time by emperor Qui Shi Huang, imposed its factual and cultural rule much like Nazi Germany did, burning all books other than those embodying the philosophy of Confucius. That is how the Sage became so popular, its precepts spilling over Western culture so prominently. However, this eclipsing popularity does not expunge the existence of other equally important philosophical sources in Chinese history, which addressed the ideological foundations of freedom and democracy. However, those got destroyed by rulers consumed by power, such as emperors and autocrats. To conclude, Badiucao goes back to my original comment, about collectivism and sacrifice, and states that the logic of that claim has been dangerously oversimplified in history, and its current study is plagued by a problematic methodology. He also adds that the true nature of the collectivist ideology comes from the Soviet Union, not from the cultural roots of the Chinese people. We move on and I ask him to tell me about his hopes and fears for the future.

Wrapping it up

He starts by reflecting on his journey so far: just like myself, Badiucao initially studied law, in an attempt to fulfil the trope of the “model good citizen” - and student - of China. But that quickly changed, when he started to come to terms with the increasingly claustrophobic sentiment of being cornered into a fixed, Monday-to-Friday office job; that is when he started his art practice. Those were politically dark times, with an ever-increasing risk of censorship, which prompted him to search for an alternative future. He found refuge in Australia, where he studied Education and taught in schools, before embarking on its full-time art career.

Future Looks Bright

When looking at the future, he envisions the realisation of a museum-level gallery for his art, to propel his visibility: in this way, he will be able to concentrate his efforts on fine arts – expanding his practice to a proper gallery space.

He reflects on what cartooning means to him, and says it is a way of seeing the world; a visual journal to crystallise specific moments in time; historic contingencies and systemic issues in our reality. But the cartoon is not the final destination: it represents a flowing practice that never arrives, but constantly evolves.

Badiucao anticipates an increase in his use of multi-media art, particularly in the digital art space. The soar of NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) adopting blockchain technology presents an advantageous opportunity from multiple angles: the anonymous and neutral nature of online space holds great potential not only for economic profit, but to build a lasting and secure platform for political art – a territory which Badi is eager to explore.

The publishing industry also features on the list of new expansive ventures, where Badi wishes to issue comics and graphic novels. 

Lastly, Badi speaks about the value of his art, which depends heavily on people’s understanding of China and the Chinese discourse: he wishes to contribute to a useful and important record of history and society by creating his art.

ABOUT DISRUPTION NETWORK LAB

Disruption Network Lab is an ongoing platform of events and research focused on the intersection of politics, technology, and society. The organisation has since 2014 developed participatory and interdisciplinary international events at the intersection of human rights and technology with the objective of strengthening freedom of speech, and exposing the misconduct and wrongdoing of the powerful. The goal of the Disruption Network Lab is to present and generate new possible routes of social and political action within the framework of digital culture and information technology, shedding light on interventions that provoke political and social change. It offers a platform of discussion to share ideas and visions for a free Internet and a modern democracy, with the aim to strengthen human rights values and freedom of speech.

POWERS OF TRUTH

The conference POWERS OF TRUTH, curated by Tatiana Bazzichelli (Director, Disruption Network Lab) and Magnus Ag (Journalist, Human Rights Advocate, Founder of Bridge Figures), brought together artists, journalists, activists, and tech experts inside and outside China to better navigate and understand dominant narratives around China we are exposed to from Beijing to Washington and Brussels, from Silicon Valley to Shenzhen. The conference POWERS OF TRUTH focused on the importance of understanding the current Chinese context analysing three main streams: technological impact, artistic experimentation and human rights protection in China and beyond.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that politics, economies, and technical infrastructures defy borders. What is developed in the Eastern part of the world influences on a large scale what is happening in Europe, as well as in the South and the West. China is expanding its influence in the world economy and in the technological sectors, growing very rapidly and lifting millions out of poverty, while defining new geopolitical alliances. As U.S. strategic engagements with China shift from one Administration to the next, the European Union is forced to develop its own strategies for how long-term regional and global stability is ensured and democratic values upheld. How can we look at the Chinese context advocating for human rights and democracy beyond propaganda and mainstream political narratives?

Badiucao’s exhibition, La Cina non è Vicina (China is not close) will be on display at the Santa Giulia Museum in Brescia (Italy) until the 13 February 2022.

Official Website

Badiucao (Chinese: 巴丢草; born c. 1986) is a Chinese political cartoonist, artist and rights activist based in Australia. He is regarded as one of China’s most prolific and well-known political cartoonists. He adopted his pen-name to protect his identity. Badiucao utilizes satire and pop culture references to convey his message. He often manipulates archetypal images from Communist Party propaganda to make subversive political statements. His work has been used or published by Amnesty International, Freedom House, BBC, CNN and China Digital Times; and has been exhibited around the world. He asserts that the government authorities in China are very concerned that their suppression of human rights activism is attracting attention from international media. He is now being pursued by China and remains in exile.

Twitter: @badiucao