Ai Weiwei is still missing… Chinese Embassy: Art is thriving in China

The Chinese Embassy in London published an article title ‘Human Right Lecture not needed‘ on China Daily, the country’s official newspaper on 29 April. The article was a response to an article on Daily Telegraph titled ‘China must set Ai Weiwei Free’. In this article, Chinese embassy claimed that Ai Weiwei’s arrest has nothing to do with human right (then what is it?), instead:

The Ai Weiwei case, in essence, is not a human rights matter, nor is it about freedom of speech. Rather it is a question of whether the rule of law should be upheld. All the evidence will be closely examined and the charges arising therefrom will be based on facts and the law, not on suppression of his rights. The judicial system in China allows no violation or interference by others.

The article also mentioned:

Art is thriving in China. One can find art in all its forms and genres in China, from classical to post-modern, from Chinese to Western, from realism to abstract art.

A similar letter was published in the journal Economist, it was written by the Chinese Embassy in London again, in which the author raised the similar argument, but with an angry ending:

Western democracy and human rights issues, there are differences only in the mutual respect and equality, based on the exchange through dialogue to deal with. Those self-righteous, defamation and insults against the Chinese people might ask ourselves, in the end who is engaged in “suppression”? Who confrontation?

It seems like the author mistakes Chinese people as Chinese government, does such a metonym help to scare away the critics: look at the art market created by the ‘Chinese people’. What will the artists and gallery response to such a statement? Maybe they are right, this is really not about human rights, though  about arts and authoritarianism.

What will those galleries which exhibited Ai Weiwei’s work do? For example the Tate Gallery, and the Somerset House, which is now hosting an exhibition by Ai weiwei? The Turner Prize winner Anish Kapoor responded:

“Perhaps all museums and galleries should be closed for a day…some such campaign needs to form itself.

“All he has done…is make it clear that every life matters. Surely that’s the right thing to do.”

Ai Weiwei is still missing…People are doing things to support him

On 30th April, Tate curated a special event by the British Artist Hamish Fulton. The performance titled ‘Slow Walk – in support of Ai Weiwei’, invited around 100 volunteers to walk across the Tate Turbine Hall in two hours. The work is a response to Ai Weiwei’s own artistic practice, it drew attention of many visitors. If you have news about different support actions, please update us.

How can I get involved? Make your own poster and put it somewhere around the embassies

Now there is another way to get involved, you can make your own poster, not explicitly mentioning the name Ai Weiwei, but do give some hints, and put it on the wall of the embassies or somewhere nearby. We have one submission from Chris Janik/ars24 studio. Again you can make yours, resistance, no matter how ‘minor’ it is, is always resistance, and it matters. Art is not for censorship.

How can I get involved? Facebook: One person one call for Ai Weiwei

One Person One call for Ai Weiwei

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=221350327879175

Time	23 April at 17:30 – 23 May at 20:30
Location	Everywhere
Created by:	Release AiWeiwei
More info	The well known Chinese Artist Ai Weiwei is still missing. He was arrested on the 3rd of April, 2011 by the Chinese government, when he was on his way to Hong Kong. So far there is no proper charge against him, except unreliable accusation that Ai Weiwei avoided tax also spread pornography online. What can one do to help throughout the world? It is simple, call the Chinese Embassy in your country and ask for help about a friend Ai Weiwei who is missing now in China. To find the contact of the Chinese Embassies: http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/wjb/zwjg/2490/

Ai WeiWei is still missing…What did he do of getting arrested?

BBC Scotland

How can the tourists be involved? Write a postcard!

If organizations or individuals want to help, it is easy to download the following two files, and make a postcards, distributing to the visitors of museums/galleries. They can help by mailing the image of Ai Weiwei around the world, and ask their friends to call the Chinese embassies to inquire about Ai Weiwei.

Individuals can also make their postcards!

Release Ai Weiwei Postcard Front

Release Ai Weiwei Postcard Back

1001 Chairs for Ai Weiwei

Time: 17 April 13:00-14:00

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=163478807041517

A question posted on Facebook about what we, as an arts community, can do to support the safe release of Ai Weiwei sparked great ideas, including one by curator Steven Holmes to reenact Ai Weiwei’s project Fairytale: 1,001 Qing Dynasty Wooden Chairs—an installation which was comprised of 1,001 late Ming and Qing Dynasty wooden chairs at Documenta 12 in 2007 in Kassel, Germany—in front of Chinese embassies and consulates around the world. This Sunday, April 17, at 1 PM local time, supporters are invited to participate in 1001 Chairs for Ai Weiwei, by bringing a chair and gathering outside Chinese embassies and consulates to sit peacefully in support of the artist’s immediate release.

Artist and activist Ai Weiwei is an internationally regarded figure who has fought for artistic freedom and for freedom of speech throughout his distinguished career, envisioning and shaping a more just and equitablesociety through his work. He has been missing since his arrest on April 3rd in Beijing. Referencing the spirit of his work, 1001 Chairs for Ai Weiwei calls for his immediate release, supporting the right of artists to speak and work freely in China and around the world.

How can I get involved? -make the Chinese Embassies a piece of …

It is simple, you can sign a petition. But that is the simplest thing, and how effective it is, is doubtful. But you can do something else, something much more direct, and it is not difficult. The first proposal is how to make the Chinese embassies  a piece of art.

1) if you have a phone

Here is the list of Chinese embassies you can use, find out the phone number of the one in your town, and give them a call, tell them that you have a friend in China missing and his name is Ai Weiwei, he disappeared on the 3rd of April, and you need their help.

If you are not a Chinese speaker, and you want to learn a bit of chinese:

Ni hao ，wo xu yao ni de bang zhu 。wo you yi ge peng you zai zhong guo shi  zhong le 。 。ta de ming zi jiao ai wei wei 。

Hello, I need your help. I have a friend disappeared in China, his name is Aiweiwei.

2) If you happen to pass a Chinese Embassy, please print out this Notice written by Aiweiwei’s mum and sister looking for him, and give it to someone in the Embassy. Or if you can post on their walls, toilet, etc.