Italian city defies China, opens exhibit by dissident artist
ABC News
A provocative exhibit by dissident Chinese artist Badiucao has opened in the industrial northern Italian city of Brescia despite pressure by the Chinese embassy in Rome to cancel it
BRESCIA, Italy -- A provocative exhibit by dissident Chinese artist Badiucao opened Saturday in the industrial northern Italian city of Brescia despite pressure from the Chinese embassy in Rome to cancel it.
A letter from the embassy included veiled economic threats, noting Italy’s trade with China, in a bid to prevent the first solo exhibit by Badiucao — the pseudonym used by the artist whose work takes aim at China's policies and human rights record.
Brescia Mayor Emilio Del Bono “responded with delicacy and firmness,” said Elettra Stamboulis, curator of the exhibit at the city’s Museum of Santa Giulia.
“Of course we are always a little worried, not so much for the artist’s safety, but because we know there are more creepy ways to silence dissident artists," she said.
