Almaty’s Central State Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan has abruptly canceled an exhibition of Taiwanese artists just days ahead of the opening, drawing criticism from Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

Titled “Shifting Grounds: Dissonance, Memory, and Landscape as a Site of Becoming” and organized by Taiwanese artist and curator Wang Chun-chi, the show was set to feature eight Taiwanese artists. It was locally promoted as the first Taiwanese art exhibition in Almaty. 

Though the museum had officially initiated the project on August 20, planning to host it from September 12 to October 1, it unexpectedly terminated the contract with organizers due to an alleged “one-month renovation” beginning on September 11. Taiwan’s representative office in Moscow apparently tried to convince the museum to launch the exhibition, but the latter responded that the cancellation was further linked to a scheduling conflict. As reported by Taiwanese news outlet ARTouch, however, the museum hosted a fashion event just a week after nixing “Shifting Grounds,” which raised doubts about the institution’s credibility. 

On September 21, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs published a statement, describing the museum’s decision to scrap the project as “clearly incoherent” and pointing to “clear signs of China’s interference.” The ministry pledged to “continue to defend Taiwan’s international space.” 

A similar case happened in early August, when a group exhibition at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre faced partial censorship following a visit by Chinese embassy officials.