TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said a group exhibition by eight Taiwanese artists in Almaty was canceled at the last minute by the Central State Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which ended the contract and claimed the venue would close for a month of renovations starting Sept. 11.

The show — curated by Wang Chun-chi (王俊琪) and featuring Chen Yung-hsien (陳永賢) among others — was titled “Mutable Dissonance: Community Narratives, Memory, and the Landscapes of the Past and Future” and scheduled for Sept. 12–Oct. 1. MOFA said the main visual carried the wording “Taiwan Contemporary Art Exhibition” and that, under pressure from China, the museum abruptly pulled the plug after the artists had already traveled to Kazakhstan, per CNA.

Taiwan’s Representative Office in Russia learned of the situation on Sept. 10 and immediately asked the museum to delay the renovation so the opening could proceed. The museum replied that the Taiwanese show was a temporary add-on that conflicted with scheduling and offered apologies, according to MOFA.

MOFA called the cancellation and contract termination unreasonable, adding that there were clear signs of Chinese interference, and criticized Beijing for obstructing non-political cultural exchange. The ministry expressed regret that the organizer yielded to intimidation and pledged to keep defending Taiwan’s international space while deepening exchanges and cooperation worldwide.