A sad moment in a mother's life

The Chinese government wouldn't let Ai Weiwei travel to Venice to see his show -- so his mother went instead.

This is the show that depicts the horrors he experienced while enduring 81 days of Chinese captivity. His mother viewed the artwork quietly. Her visit was chronicled in the above-linked article. Here's an excerpt.

Weiwei's elderly mother, Gao Yng, on Tuesday viewed for the first time a series of dioramas depicting six episodes of pressure during her son's 81 days in detention in 2011. Gao walked quietly through the exhibit, peering through openings in the 1.5-meter (4.5-foot) high boxes. Inside them, Weiwei constructed in great detail scenes of his captivity.

His mother did not speak to journalists who documented the moment, but she was moved to tears as she left the exhibit in the church of Sant'Antonin.

A mother viewing the torture of her son. The Chinese government did itself no favors by enabling this poignant moment. It will live forever in the minds of decent people.

Ai Weiwei's new show

As readers of this blog know, I'm a big fan of Chinese dissident artist and relentless provacateur, Ai Weiwei. There is a new show based on his experiences in Chinese detention. The man just won't give up. He is an everpresent goad to the Chinese government. I love this about him.

Mr. Ai’s vitriol against the Communist Party has made him a polarizing figure in the Chinese art world. Many artists quietly resent the attention Mr. Ai has received from the West, as well as his occasional denunciations of other Chinese, including former friends, who are unwilling to take the same uncompromising stand against the party. 

Won't. Back. Down. Militant artists are great, especially when fighting a behemoth like China. I admire this man so much. Check out the story. It includes "multimedia" (is that a tired term, or what?) of some of his latest artworks.

Coda: Where is the American artist who is Weiwei's counterpart? He or she is nowhere to be seen. That is so strange. American society is collapsing, the middle class is dying, and we no longer bother to educate our children. And oh yeah, we've decided not to address climate change. We'll just go extinct. It seems there should be an American artist who is covering the American decline like white on rice. Perhaps this artist exists and I just haven't bumped into his or her work. If that's the case, please enlighten me in the comments.

Art and activism in China

There's an article at SpiegelOnline about a contemporary of Ai Weiwei. Like Ai Weiwei, Zhao Zhao is both an artist and an activist, and the latter proclivity has drawn the ire of Chinese authorities. Ai Weiwei is all too familiar with this type of treatment.

China doesn't like Zhao Zhao. The article recounts some of the oppression he's had to endure, and it's painful to read. China's control-mad rulers really can't handle hippies, which makes sense given the suffocating nature of Chinese governance. I found the short article interesting. Check it out.

It's great that artists can speak so effectively to power. Painters, sculptors and writers have the power to reveal what the authorities desperately want to hide. It has always been this way.

Here's a link to Zhao Zhao's work. I confess I don't get it. On the other hand, note that the fourth image is the one referred to in the article: a painting of Ai Weiwei in an interrogation situation. This image is considered highly volatile in China.

Note: The article spells his name two different ways. Couldn't confirm it either way, so I went with Zhao Zhao.

TV note

I see that PBS' "Independent Lens" is showing a 2012 documentary tonight about Ai Weiwei. It's called "Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry". I love this guy. If you're interested, tune in. He's a human rights-oriented Chinese artist who just won't back down. He's kind of like the ultimate, talented Chinese hippie, and the Chinese government harasses him endlessly for this. Folks, it's one thing to be an activist in America and quite another to be one in China. I admire this fellow.