Chinese dissident artist Badiucao has opened his first solo gallery show, titled “Disagree Where We Must,” at Goldstone Gallery in Melbourne, Australia, his adopted hometown. The exhibition features nearly three dozen works, including canvases and conceptual pieces that critique developments in mainland China and Hong Kong, as well as geopolitical tensions involving Russia and the Middle East. Badiucao, who has faced threats and censorship for his criticism of the Chinese Communist Party, previously held institutional exhibitions in Europe but had never before had a solo show at a commercial venue.
This show matters because it marks a significant milestone for a politically outspoken artist who has long been excluded from China and struggled to find commercial representation. The collaboration with Goldstone Gallery, founded by artist Nina Sanadze after she was doxxed and canceled for her Jewish identity and views on Gaza, underscores a shared experience of persecution and censorship. The exhibition highlights the challenges political artists face in breaking into the commercial art scene and the importance of galleries willing to support uncompromising voices.