Customs officials give Zhang Hongtu painting crit and seize painting

Human Rights in China reports that on July 3 Chinese customs officers seized a painting by China-born, New York-based artist Zhang Hongtu, which depicts the National Stadium in Beijing, popularly referred to as the Bird’s Nest. Titled “Bird’s Nest, in the Style of Cubism,” the painting incorporates images of the stadium design; the Chinese characters for the “Sacred Olympic Torch,” “One world, One dream” (the Olympic slogan) and “Family, Joy, Happiness”; the Arabic numeral “8” in repetition; and the English words, “TIBET” and “HUMAN RIGHT.”
“I feel that the Olympic Games are a good opportunity to make this world a global village. It is a big party for all the people to get together without regard to national boundaries. ‘Bird’s Nest’ was created with that thought in mind,” Zhang told HRIC.
Customs officials told Zhang that the painting could not enter China because it contains “unacceptable” wording, the depiction of the stadium “isn’t good enough,” and the colors are “too dark and dull.”
Also reported on ArtInfo.