Shenzhen Biennale curator Gary Xu terminated over sexual misconduct allegations

Gary Xu, a curator for the inaugural Shenzhen Biennale, has been dismissed following accusations of sexual assault and inappropriate behavior. The biennale team stated that, in alignment with its mission to promote positive artistic energy, it ended cooperation with Xu for the 2018 edition after careful deliberation. Allegations against Xu include claims by Wang Ao, an assistant professor of East Asian Studies at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, who asserted that Xu sexually harassed female students over two decades while he was an associate professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. An anonymous woman supported these accusations, alleging physical abuse and sharing a 2015 petition she filed with an Illinois court for an emergency protection order. Xu denies all allegations. The news was reported by Art Asia Pacific.