The Victoria and Albert Museum in London removed material from at least two recent exhibition catalogs at the request of a Chinese printing company, according to documents obtained by The Guardian through freedom of information requests. The report found that certain maps and images were flagged as violating China’s censorship laws.
Partnering with foreign printing companies isn’t unusual among major arts institutions; both the British Museum and Tate do so, as the report notes. In the V&A’s case, however, the episode has underscored the controversy inherent in outsourcing production: by choosing a Chinese printer over more expensive British or European options, the museum subjected its publications to restrictions governing topics deemed sensitive by the Chinese government.
The list of flagged topics includes historically and politically sensitive subjects of major significance, including the Tiananmen Square protests and massacre—the site of a violent crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators—as well as Tibet and Taiwan, both of which maintain political autonomy in contradiction of Beijing’s territorial claims.
In the case of the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Chinese government flagged maps and images slated for reproduction in the catalog for the exhibition “Music Is Black”, which opens Friday. Created in the 1930s, the material illustrates trade routes of the British Empire—including a map that encompasses China. An email from the Chinese printer C&C Offset Printing to the museum, published in the documents, states: “There is a map on p10 [that] relates to China (there is [a] China border here and we need to use the standard maps from [the] Chinese government) and GAPP rejected it. Our suggestion is to delete this map or use another image.”
An internal email exchange between museum staff, also published by The Guardian, indicates that the deletion of the material delayed production and prompted evident confusion: “It’s a historic map showing British colonial rule so nothing to do with China—[it] just shows China on the map and that seems to be enough to warrant rejection. Printing paused while we amend files … SORRY.”
The map was due to illustrate an introduction to the catalog by Gus Casely-Hayford, the director of V&A East. An email to him explained that it was too late to acquire an alternative printer.
The V&A also reportedly agreed to pull content slated for the catalog of its 2021 exhibition “Fabergé: Romance to Revolution”, including another map and a photograph of Vladimir Lenin. “The Chinese printer is not able to print the book with the revolution/Lenin image at the start of your essay,” reads an email from the V&A production team to one of the show’s curators.
The email’s unnamed author added: “I should have foreseen this, but the list of restrictions is ever changing.”
In a statement to the publication, the V&A described the alterations demanded for both catalogs as “minor”: “We carefully consider, on a case-by-case basis, where we print all of our books. We sometimes print in China, but maintain close editorial oversight. We were comfortable making minor edits, as they did not affect the narrative and we would obviously pull production if we felt any requested change was problematic.”
When asked about the issue, the Tate and the British Library both stated they have never encountered censorship issues during production. The British Museum declined to respond to questions regarding potential censorship of its publications in China.
