Their Art Raised Questions About Technology. Chinese Censors Had Their Own Answer.; The New York Times, December 14, 2018

Amy Qin, The New York Times; Their Art Raised Questions About Technology. Chinese Censors Had Their Own Answer.

Artificial intelligence bots. 3-D printed human organs. Genomic sequencing. 

These might seem to be natural topics of interest in a country determined to be the world’s leader in science and technology. But in China, where censors are known to take a heavy hand, several artworks that look closely at these breakthroughs have been deemed taboo by local cultural officials.

The works, which raise questions about the social and ethical implications of artificial intelligence and biotechnology, were abruptly pulled last weekend from the coming Guangzhou Triennial on the orders of cultural authorities in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong...

“Isn’t contemporary art meant to raise questions, and start discussions about important subjects in actuality and those of our near future?” he wrote. “What are China’s reasons for organizing all these big expensive ‘contemporary art’ manifestations if these questions, the core of contemporary art, freedom of speech, freedom of mind, are ignored and undermined?”"