At the weekend, Mr & Mrs That's Not My Age had an Ai Weiwei Day. The conceptual artist is incarcerated in China, unable to attend his two London exhibitions and banned from blogging, so I thought I'd do this for him. The Lisson Gallery is showing Ai's beautiful paint-splattered Han Dynasty vases.
There are posters of his quotes all down the street, mmm... Bejing take note. A couple of years ago, the Chinese authorities set up CCTV cameras outside Ai's studio and he responded with this marble work of art. Which made me smile. Watching me, watching you, ah ha!
This installation is called Moon Chest (look through the port holes in the wooden chests and you can see all the different moon-shaped silhouettes). Stunning.
Then it was over to Somerset House to see Ai Weiwei's Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads. The Portland stone is the perfect backdrop for the 54-year-old artist's 12 bronze sculptures:
The man who helped create the Bird's Nest Olympic stadium and filled Tate Modern with porcelain sunflower seeds is being detained without charge for 'economic crimes,' like publishing online pornography...
I don't get it. China is reaching out to the west. The west loves Ai Weiwei. Ai Weiwei gets banged up.
Free Ai Weiwei.
Ai Weiwei is on at the Lisson Gallery till 16 July 2011 and Somerset House till June 26 2011.
Sunflower seeds photo: The Telegraph
17 comments:
Good for you posting this. I loved the sunflower seed exhibition at the Tate and was very saddened and disturbed to hear he'd been imprisoned.
His work is stupendous. That Moon Chest - wow.
Fabulous! I love him.
Hope you're good xx
great pictures!!!
I wish there could be an Ai WeiWei day, on a worldwide scale, great post.
Thanks for doing this post....every bit helps.
It's madness isn't it? We perhaps should all stop buying things made in China to make a stand. Starting now. Ax
Loved this blog post very much. Well done you on doing your bit to speak out against his detention. Spreading the word and keeping awareness of his plight high is important.
Well done *round of applause*
Ali x
Great that you are blogging for him. Such a talent. Love the moon chest particularly. x
Great Blog post. I love his work and his bravery, its easy to forget that despite embracing capitalism, China is still an authoritarian state!
I hope you don't mind, but I've borrowed your photo of the pots and linked to you from my post today. You inspired me to do my little bit -- thank you.
and do let me know if you'd prefer me to take down that photo. I have a few of my own from seeing the Tate Modern sunflowers.
Glad you don't mind -- thanks for visiting my post. As for the Madame Grès exhibit, it was marvellous -- I've posted on it three times now and still have more glorious photos to share -- you can get a preview of the exhibition on my post from yesterday which links to the earlier two. You'll love the exhibition AND the museum that's hosting it!
That looks an amazing exhibition, I love the rams's head and that stunning Moon Chest.
It's a bloody disgrace that he's been imprisoned. xxx
I loved reading this and seeing all the photos!
I love his work so much, he is such a great inspiration! Fantastic post! Great blog, I am now following! Maybe you'll have time to visit my blog:)
Kisses,
Annabelle
http://vivaluxury.blogspot.com
Is it OK to like the postered wall best? I 'm not very good at 'art', but he certainly gets people talking and no one can approve of locking someone away without trial.
this is amazing. Thanks for sharing.
Helen, X
http://areyoudressingupordressingdown.blogspot.com
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