Paris [France], October 25 : In a bold show of dissent, Students for a Free Tibet (SFT) France held a protest at Paris's Pompidou Centre, blasting the institution for celebrating Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang, whose recent firework performance in Tibet's Shigatse region has drawn widespread condemnation for environmental devastation and cultural disrespect, as reported by Phayul, a Tibetan news website.
According to Phayul, the demonstrators on Thursday accused the Pompidou Centre and its collaborator, White Cube gallery, of "romanticising destruction" by showcasing Cai's work as a symbol of artistic brilliance. The exhibition, co-organised by the two prestigious institutions, portrays Cai as a visionary bridging "tradition and modernity" through his explosive art, a framing Tibetan activists call a blatant disregard for the harm inflicted on sacred Tibetan land.
On September 19, Cai Guo-Qiang, in collaboration with Canadian outdoor brand Arc'teryx, executed a massive pyrotechnic display on the holy mountains of Shigatse. Conducted under the pretext of a commercial advertisement, the act left behind heaps of debris, including spent shells and plastic fragments, polluting the fragile high-altitude ecosystem. Local Tibetans were allegedly forced to clean up the aftermath, with no acknowledgement or assistance from the organisers, an act seen as a reflection of China's continued exploitation of occupied Tibet.
Despite global backlash, the Pompidou Centre and White Cube have continued to laud Cai's work as an artistic meditation on "humanity's relationship with nature." SFT France has condemned this stance, asserting that such exhibitions turn a blind eye to cultural violence and environmental destruction, as Phayul reported.
The activists demanded that both institutions publicly recognise the massive ecological damage and cultural insensitivity caused by Cai's project and stop legitimising China's propaganda through artistic channels, as reported by Phayul.