Corpse art: Group decries possible use of executed Chinese prisoners’ bodies

A human-rights group says the potential use of the bodies of executed Chinese prisoners in art exhibition merits a criminal investigation. The “Bodies Revealed” display set up by Premier Exhibitions in Niagara Falls, Ont., includes cadavers, body parts, and even fetuses being shown in a mother’s uterus. The bodies have undergone a process called plastination and are on display without skins and muscles flayed. A disclaimer on Premier Exhibitions’ website says the remains are from Chinese residents and were sent by the Chinese Bureau of Police, but that it could not be verified if they came from prisons.

We’re concerned that the presenter of these exhibitions does not have any form of consent whatsoever to show these bodies. If these bodies do not have consent to be shown, these bodies are being shown illegally in Canada.

Joel Chipkar, spokesman for Choose Humanity

However, a disclaimer on its website confirms the remains are from Chinese citizens or residents “originally received” by Chinese police. “The Chinese Bureau of Police may receive bodies from Chinese prisons.

Arts bodies revealed