Dhaka art summit: Tibetan exhibit covered up after China ‘protest’

The work beneath the shroud belonged to filmmakers Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam.

Written by: Pallavi Pundir, Vandana Kalra

3 min readDhakaFeb 8, 2016 02:21 AM IST

dhaka, dhaka art summit, tibetan, china, chinese ambassador, dharamshala, protest, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy

Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam. Express

Two Dharamshala-based filmmakers have accused China of “bullying” Dhaka Art Summit organisers to clamp down on their Tibetan exhibit at the prestigious event. The artwork, which was “covered up” after reported objection from China’s ambassador to Bangladesh, paid homage to 149 Tibetans, who self-immolated themselves to make their voices heard. It comprised letters drafted by five protesters just before they burned themselves.

But on Sunday, as visitors combed through several galleries at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy — which hosted 17 solo projects, five exhibitions, eight durational performances, film programmes and book launches — they found one wall with five frames on the first floor covered with white sheets of paper. The work beneath the shroud belonged to filmmakers Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam. Titled “Last Words” it was part of the duo’s earlier exhibition, Burning Against the Dying of the Light, which portrayed the Tibetan struggle.

“They had to be covered because the Chinese ambassador to Bangladesh (Ma Mingqiang) found the works offensive, during a visit to the summit on Saturday,” said Tenzing Sonam, who was informed about the objection on Saturday evening.

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“We were told by the curator (Diana Campbell Betancourt) that he exploded as soon as he saw it and asked the works to be removed immediately or face consequences,” added Sonam.

While the filmmaker duo flew back from Dhaka to Delhi on Sunday morning, they said they were in constant touch with the curator as well as the Samdani Art Foundation, headed by Nadia and Rajeeb Samdani, which organises the summit that is in its third edition. “We understand their position. They are trying to frame an appropriate response. With an event of such magnitude, one can’t really take any chance,” said Sonam. However, Sarin accused China of “bullying”.

“This is bullying. The Chinese are asking for the works to be removed in a foreign country. We have just taken five letters that are actually available online; it is not even an interpretation,” said Sarin.

The installation that travelled to Dhaka was one of the several works that were part of the couple’s solo exhibition that took place at Khoj Studios in Delhi from December 10 to 31.

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About the response in Dhaka, Sonam said, “In Bangladesh too the response was wonderful. A lot of people found it very moving and shocking. Many people don’t know much about the Tibetan movement in Dhaka.” He claimed that this was not the first time that the Chinese had clamped down on a Tibetan exhibit in Bangladesh. In 2009, the Chinese embassy, he said, had asked the government to shut the exhibition — “Into Exile | Tibet 1949 – 2009” — featuring the journey of “Tibetans from their Homeland to Exile” organised by the Students for a Free Tibet, Bangladesh.

“I had forgotten about that incident but now all of it is coming back,” Sonam added. The organisers refused to comment.

Vandana Kalra

Vandana Kalra is an art critic and Deputy Associate Editor with The Indian Express. She has spent more than two decades chronicling arts, culture and everyday life, with modern and contemporary art at the heart of her practice. With a sustained engagement in the arts and a deep understanding of India’s cultural ecosystem, she is regarded as a distinctive and authoritative voice in contemporary art journalism in India. Vandana Kalra's career has unfolded in step with the shifting contours of India’s cultural landscape, from the rise of the Indian art market to the growing prominence of global biennales and fairs. Closely tracking its ebbs and surges, she reports from studios, galleries, museums and exhibition spaces and has covered major Indian and international art fairs, museum exhibitions and biennales, including the Venice Biennale, Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Documenta, Islamic Arts Biennale. She has also been invited to cover landmark moments in modern Indian art, including SH Raza’s exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the opening of the MF Husain Museum in Doha, reflecting her long engagement with the legacies of India’s modern masters. Alongside her writing, she applies a keen editorial sensibility, shaping and editing art and cultural coverage into informed, cohesive narratives. Through incisive features, interviews and critical reviews, she brings clarity to complex artistic conversations, foregrounding questions of process, patronage, craft, identity and cultural memory. The Global Art Circuit: She provides extensive coverage of major events like the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Serendipity Arts Festival, and high-profile international auctions. Artist Spotlights: She writes in-depth features on modern masters (like M.F. Husain) and contemporary performance artists (like Marina Abramović). Art and Labor: A recurring theme in her writing is how art reflects the lives of the marginalized, including migrants, farmers, and labourers. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent portfolio is dominated by the coverage of the 2025 art season in India: 1. Kochi-Muziris Biennale & Serendipity Arts Festival "At Serendipity Arts Festival, a 'Shark Tank' of sorts for art and crafts startups" (Dec 20, 2025): On how a new incubator is helping artisans pitch products to investors. "Artist Birender Yadav's work gives voice to the migrant self" (Dec 17, 2025): A profile of an artist whose decade-long practice focuses on brick kiln workers. "At Kochi-Muziris Biennale, a farmer’s son from Patiala uses his art to draw attention to Delhi’s polluted air" (Dec 16, 2025). "Kochi Biennale showstopper Marina Abramović, a pioneer in performance art" (Dec 7, 2025): An interview with the world-renowned artist on the power of reinvention. 2. M.F. Husain & Modernism "Inside the new MF Husain Museum in Qatar" (Nov 29, 2025): A three-part series on the opening of Lawh Wa Qalam in Doha, exploring how a 2008 sketch became the architectural core of the museum. "Doha opens Lawh Wa Qalam: Celebrating the modernist's global legacy" (Nov 29, 2025). 3. Art Market & Records "Frida Kahlo sets record for the most expensive work by a female artist" (Nov 21, 2025): On Kahlo's canvas The Dream (The Bed) selling for $54.7 million. "All you need to know about Klimt’s canvas that is now the most expensive modern artwork" (Nov 19, 2025). "What’s special about a $12.1 million gold toilet?" (Nov 19, 2025): A quirky look at a flushable 18-karat gold artwork. 4. Art Education & History "Art as play: How process-driven activities are changing the way children learn art in India" (Nov 23, 2025). "A glimpse of Goa's layered history at Serendipity Arts Festival" (Dec 9, 2025): Exploring historical landmarks as venues for contemporary art. Signature Beats Vandana is known for her investigative approach to the art economy, having recently written about "Who funds the Kochi-Muziris Biennale?" (Dec 11, 2025), detailing the role of "Platinum Benefactors." She also explores the spiritual and geometric aspects of art, as seen in her retrospective on artist Akkitham Narayanan and the history of the Cholamandal Artists' Village (Nov 22, 2025). ... Read More

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