About the book ai weiwei is chinas most famous living, modern contemporary artist. Ai weiwei may be chinas most famous artist in the west, but it is his older halfbrother who commands recognition, respect and top yuan among mainland chinese collectors. Ai has maintained an active, widespread global presence nonetheless. Fiftyfiveyearold ai weiwei was allowed to be present at his sentencing in court. Download now surveillance camera was made the year of the artists house arrest ai weiwei. Follow and encourage others to follow ai weiwei on twitter and instagram. As a result of his fathers denouncement from the antirightist movement, ai s family was sent to a labor camp in beidahuang and was eventually exiled to shihezi, xinjiang.
Ai grew up in the far northwest of china, where he lived under harsh conditions due to his fathers exile. In 2011, the chinese government arrested and imprisoned him without charge for 81 days. The fake case chronicles weiweis yearlong battle against the chinese government and a trumpedup taxevasion lawsuit dubbed the fake case. Howard brentons most recent play, 55 days, dealt with the imprisonment, trial and execution of charles i. Unfortunately for them, the reputation of the man time magazine shortlisted for 2011s person of the year cover story just seems to grow. Dissident artist ai weiwei has secretly spent 18 months creating six sculptures of the 81 days he spent in detention in china for tax evasion in 2011 and has shipped them out of the country. In 2009, ai weiwei was arrested and beaten by chinese police. The missing chinese artist is worldfamous for his dissidence and bravely attacking his government, but on the eve of two new ai weiwei shows in london alastair smart considers the art.
Join us at the rio theatre on monday, april 20th for ai weweis appeal. Rent ai weiwei movies and tv shows on dvd and bluray. Four years after his arrest, artist ai weiwei has his. See the full list of ai weiweis appeal cast and crew including actors, directors, producers and more. He is the son of poet ai ching, who was internally exiled 195876 to work camps with his family. Keep his voice a loud part of the digital conversation.
Ai s passport has not been returned to him and his freedom of travel remains restricted. New york photographs 19831993, an exhibition running at the morris and helen belkin art gallery at ubc until nov. The new film replays footage of ai returning to his beijing studio compound, out on bail, and under house arrest and a gag order, after 81 days of harsh, arbitrary imprisonment. Held in solitude for eightyone days against his will, worldfamous artist ai weiwei returns home under house arrest to face an onslaught of journalists, art world luminaries, and his family.
Ai weiwei debates with authorities when they raid his studio. After 81 days of solitary detention world famous chinese artist ai weiwei is put under house arrest. Never sorry sheds light on the man behind the dissident artist, with a goal that u. Worldrenowned artist ai weiwei on his childhood in a. Though the art world does not hold much appeal to me, ai weiweis story is not so much about art, as it is how big of an impact art can have on society. Ai weiwei was born on august 28, 1957, in beijing, china, to chinese poet ai qing. Give others a chance to be inspired and strengthened by weiweis life. The single dumbass, premiered last month along with its music video, is included in the album. As an activist, he has been openly critical of the chinese governments stance on democracy and human rights. The art newspaper is the journal of record for the visual arts world, covering international news and events. Based in london and new york, the englishlanguage publication is part of a network of. Ai weiwei brings 150 tons of rebar to venice the artist and dissident ai weiwei has erected a 150ton landscape of steel at the 20 venice biennale. Research art activism and protest art movements and the intriguing people behind them.
A documentary reflects on artist ai weiweis battle against the lawsuit thrust upon him by the chinese government in an effort to silence him. Inspirational ai weiweis life and influence presented in never sorry. To produce the film, ai and his crew visited 23 nations and more than 40 refugee camps, including locations in afghanistan, bangladesh, france, mexico, and the united states. Free ai weiwei is an information hub that started when the chinese artist and activist ai weiwei disappeared for 81 days in march 2011. The mother of the chinese conceptual artist, political activist, philosopher, architect, photographer and filmmaker shuffles around in the middle of his enormous installation s.
Weiwei is equally known for his diverse artistic output and for his commitment to greater freedom of expression and human rights in china and. That was the same year security forces detained ai. To learn more about the refugee crisis, ai weiwei turned. Film ai weiweis film human flow makes oscar shortlist. Ai weiweis appeal fails once again ai says the fine of 1. Film shows artist ai weiweis conflicted relationship with. It is now a source for news about the artist and his work. Ai weiwei at alcatraz, the public art project that haines and the artist collaborated on in 2014, while ai was still under house. While ai s art was lauded internationally, the frequently provocative and subversive dimension of his art, as well as his political outspokenness. Either you know the name ai weiwei or you are, to some degree, clueless. Ai weiweis new film yours truly examines political.
Inspirational ai weiweis life and influence presented in. Ai weiwei, wadegiles romanization ai weiwei, born may 18. Even if you dont know who he is, you have almost certainly seen at least one of his works. If youve ever wondered what its like to be jailed indefinitely in china, nows your chance to see. Beijing, june 22, 20 the ai weiwei studio released ai weiweis first music album, the divine comedy, today to commemorate the second anniversary of his release from an 81day secret detention. The arrest of ai weiwei brings to life the chinese artists recollection of the 81 days he spent in a 12. Chinese artist ai weiwei first worked with his smartphone camera until he was joined by a german producer on his powerful refugee documentary. His twitter account has 278,000 followers, despite the fact that twitter is technically blocked in china, and 111,000 people.
His fame and notoriety transcend the art world and encompass the realm of our broader, global modern culture. Empower one another to engage, create, and localize weiweis global cause. One of 2012 sundance film festivals official selections, this documentary piece by alison klayman. His new one could easily be called 81 days since it covers the detention, interrogation. Recommended not only to artists, but anyone looking for a good documentary.
Ai subsequently studied at the beijing film institute, began to make avantgarde art, and became politically active. The vancouver biennale is pleased to present the ai weiwei cinefest, retrospective, a film series celebrating the world renowned chinese artist ai weiwei. Watch his 81 days in detainment come to life huffpost. Ai s side, giving the film an informal intimacy not unlike the mood in some of the artists own videos. He suffers from sleeping disorder and memory loss, 18 cameras are monitoring his studio and home, police agents follow his every move, and heavy restrictions from the kafkaesque chinese authorities weigh him down.
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