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Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Artist and activist Ai Weiwei is released in China after 81 days in Chinese prison







After 81 days in Chinese prison the artist and activist Ai Weiwei is back at this studio as the Reuter's picture shows. I knew Ai Weiwei because of videos, statements and interviews the British sculptor Anish Kapoor, that I like very much, did to denounce Ai Weiwei imprisonment. In one of them he rejects a British exhibition in China that would take place at Tienanmen Square as a protest for Ai Weiwei imprisonment.  

I loved Weiwei  work immediately and felt ashamed I didn't know him yet. 

He has a great work and is a very bright man, a man of dignity and integrity. Still that is the way Chinese government treats one of it's most important artist because they cannot listen to any phrase that shows any kind of dissent.

The most ridiculous example: this blog. After I published two posts this one and this the blog was blocked in China.  What does this blog have of importance? What is written in these posts that is so offensive? The truth?

Yes. Chinese people in general don't know about Tienanmen Square, 1989, when the Chinese government massacred young people in one of the most cowards ways.  



Now with Lybia and Syria and others it is hard to rank who is the worst.

But having these kind of massacres, I'm listening to the TV and they are reporting crackdowns. How to describe it? 

I changed the subject.

But as Kapoor said in May, 10 for BBC about Ai Weiwei prison and he don't even know him personally:







"It's a month now that the poor man has been held without a voice, but not only that, his family doesn't know where he is," said Kapoor.
"This is not a situation that is acceptable in any circumstances.
Anish Kapoor and Ai WeiweiKapoor, left, has called on the art world to support Ai Weiwei
"It does bear witness to the barbarity of governments if they're that paranoid that they have to put away artists. It's a ridiculous situation."





Kapoor exhorted the artistic class and galleries and museums to be active in situations like that saying that museums, for instance could be closed for one day.

I agree with Kapoor. Too much is happening and I don't see artists and those people who belong to the "cultural elite" doing what they used to do: say "NO".

"This make us back to a Soviet-style time when the voice of artists... were seen as being dangerous."

Kappor said.

I remembered dictatorship times in South America when artists also "disappeared". This is unacceptable and we have to say it repeatedly: "NO!" NEVER AGAIN!"





Welcome back Ai Weiwei! We'll be watching Chinese government watching you.

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