Bea Last sent the following comment and link in.
''The chinese artist and political activist Ai Weiwei (He exhibited the 'Sunflower Seeds' consisting of 100 million porcelain seeds at the Tate Modern in London last year and was also involved with the construction of the Bejing Olympic stadium 'Birds Nest') was arrested last sunday by chinese authorities. Although it was shock it was not a surprise as he has peviously been under House arrest, has been beaten within an inch of his life and in January of this year had his studio destroyed. He stands for freedom of speech, democracy and human rights and is a reminder to all of us that should we choose, there is a responsibility, power and position , that comes with being an artist, to speak out and have your voice heard, or for and on behalf of those that can't.''
Radio 4 interview:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/word-asia-pacific-13003808
Don’t just hear about it on the BBC as this posts suggests. Please go to Amnesty International’s site where a campaign for the release of Ai Weiwei is already underway.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks.
(See this blog has resorted to the four letter word! Unfortunately the blog is already getting known as Commonty (or ‘come on tae’) f**k! So this confirms some of my worse fears!)
Dear Anonymous, the use of the four letter word is in reference to Ai Weiwei's exhibition entitled 'Fuck-Off' which ran at Beijing's third Biennale in 2000.
ReplyDeleteThere's even a Wiki page devoted to it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuck_Off_(art_exhibition)
If the artistic community are uncomfortable with the use of the expletive when confronting a totalitarian regime who are in the process of squashing Weiwei's freedom of speech and expression, then perhaps we'd best look inwards.
My plea was to support the campaign to get the artist out. I would be happy if you and others backed that. Again, support him via Amnesty International by sending a letter or email.
ReplyDelete(I do have the catalogue of this exhibition. If I added a tease about Commony in brackets, for I am not at all worried or uncomfortable with the use of the expletive, I am sorry that you took it so to heart.
Look inwards? I did ask for constructive support which is more than your original post did.)
Handbags.
ReplyDeleteFuck fuck fuckety fuck! It's the rebel in me sorry :~(
ReplyDeleteWell.....my original post was to bring attention to the artist Ai Weiwei and perhaps open up an interesting discussion on various angles that could have come out of this, without wanting to use The Commonty to tell folk what to do. I assumed those who are interested, would naturally follow various links and sign up to support him via Amnesty,of their own accord, as their own 'choice'.
ReplyDeleteIndeed. Thankfully we can have our own ‘choice’ here. More power to the woolly liberals! Encourage knitting by the guillotine! And by all means “interesting discussion on various angles that could have come out of this.” Whoopee!
ReplyDeleteMust be great to be Anonymous, maybe the woolly liberals could knit you a hard core balaclava to disguise your bad self.
ReplyDeleteYou leave Anonymous alone after all this Blog stated,'You can also post anonymously if that tickles your fancy!'. Clearly her or his fancy was taken even without knitted balaclava. Bad, bad Adam! Stop it boy!
ReplyDelete