Beijing Olympics Draws Debate Among Artists

ANCHOR:
The Beijing Olympic Games has just begun, and already ignited debate over its human rights record. In response to this, artists in Australia are holding an exhibition that presents a no-frills view on China. Our very own Richard Szabo has this story.

STORY:
Just a few hours before the Beijing Olympics began, an art exhibition opened on one of downtown Sydney's quieter streets.

The artists supporting the event, call it 888 -- named after the eighth of August 2008. They believe more people should see the problems China faces, because other countries have contributed to them.

[Mark Gerada, 888 Exhibition Curator]:
"Right now we're probably wearing a Chinese garment or we've used a Chinese tool or something made in China today, so I think the whole world is responsible...We have issues like Tibet, Eastern Turkistan with the Uiyghur people and we've got issues of the Falun Gong and censorship."

Designer Sarah Ball shares how she uses art to convey her message about communist censorship.

[Sarah Bell, Object Designer]:
"The vessel was a form which symbolized to me the Chinese government feeding information to people, so literally being force-fed a particular line of information. The more complex crocheted vessels, which are made from wire, are looking at the idea of the complexity of information and the angle and history of stories that don't get told."

Some of the artists prefer a more practical approach. Others try to emphasise less materialism and more traditional Chinese values.

[Jaqueline Gothe, University of Technology Sydney]:
"Just as our indigenous culture in Australia reveals an understanding about the country that we can't have, just by arriving from another place. So I'm looking at the two cultures and building a respect for what has been there for a long time."

The exhibition will run until August 13.

Richard Szabo, NTD, Sydney.

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News & Politics

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