Coronavirus: Chinese artist Brother Nut keeps his mouth shut for 30 days in censorship protest

In his latest project, the 39-year-old sealed his mouth with packing tape that read ‘404’ – the error code for a webpage not found

China has faced a barrage of criticism over its handling of the virus that emerged in Wuhan late last year

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Brother Nut poses in Shanghai with “404” across his taped mouth in a nod to the blocking of online content that is common in China for sensitive issues. Photo: Reuters

Published: 4:02pm, 20 Jul 2020Updated: 11:05pm, 20 Jul 2020

To protest against censorship during the Covid-19 outbreak, a Chinese artist known as Brother Nut kept his mouth shut for 30 days, using metal clasps, gloves, duct tape and other items.

In the project – #shutupfor30days – he also sealed his mouth with packing tape with “404”, the error code for a webpage not found, written across it, a nod to the blocking of online content that is common in China for sensitive issues.

“If you ask me how an artist should digest unfair treatment, such as violence or censorship, my first reaction is: keep fighting, with art,” Brother Nut said.

The 39-year-old artist has built a reputation for statement-making projects in a country where the room for dissent has shrunk and censorship has intensified under President Xi Jinping.

The artist used metal clasps and other items to seal his mouth in the 30-day project. Photo: Reuters

China faced a barrage of criticism over the virus that emerged late last year in Wuhan, from being slow to sound the alarm to the treatment of a doctor who tried to alert authorities about the outbreak but was reprimanded by police for “spreading rumours”.