On April 6, 2012, The Bare Square posted an article on the detainment of renown and celebrated Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. He has been detained under tax evasion charges, which he had personally admitted, and other miscellaneous “unspecified charges.” A staunch political activist against China’s authoritative approach on “protecting” human rights, Ai Weiwei has infuriated Chinese officials on more than one occasion with his blatant artistic approaches.

Artist Ai Weiwei standing amidst his “Sunflower Seeds” 2010 exhibition at The Tate Museum, photo from Telegraph

The Chinese government banned Ai Weiwei from leaving his homeland, but they cannot control his ingenious and heart wrenching art pieces from spreading like wildfire around the globe. His first North American exhibition, “Ai Weiwei: According to What?” is presently held on Washington state’s Hirshhorn Museum on October 7, 2012 and will run through February 24, 2013.

All of his works in the exhibition garner attention and merit. Two pieces that speak in powerful silence are Snake Ceiling, a huge snake-like sculpture made out of backpacks latched on the ceiling and He Xie, a swarm of porcelain river crabs on the floor.

Artist Ai Weiwei’s “Snake Ceiling,” photo from Hirshhorn.

A close up to the individual backpacks that make up “Snake Ceiling,” photo from Zimbio.

The serpentine sculpture called Snake Ceiling is a painful reminder of all the backpacks students left behind as their poorly constructed government-made schools collapsed on them during the 2008 devastating and deadly Sichuan earthquake in China. Parents were left stranded and forever heartbroken as their only child was lost. They couldn’t reproduce to try to make up for their gaping loss due to China’s One-child Policy.

Sadness and masked indescribable pain are some of the emotions that soaked Ai Weiwei’s next sculpture He Xie, which centers around red and grey river crabs. Quite cleverly, Ai Weiwei utilized river crabs as his subjects because in Chinese, river crabs or “he xie,” sounds exactly like “censorship.”

Artist Ai Weiwei’s river crabs fine art piece, “He Xie,” photo from Arts Observer.

Ai Weiwei might not be able to “speak” due to China’s suppressed freedom of speech but his artworks incontestably speak for themselves. Perhaps the truth will set Ai Weiwei free.

-Paulina Tam

If you were in New York City this past summer, you may have passed by twelve large bronze animal head sculptures at the historic Pulitzer Fountain at Grand Army Plaza near Central Park and the Plaza Hotel. (The works have since moved on to Los Angeles County Museum of Art through February 12th as part of a multi-year world tour.)

Sculptures by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei in their temporary location in front of the Plaza Hotel in New York (from culture.wnyc.org)

Or you might have read about the controversial, internationally renowned, Chinese contemporary artist Ai Weiwei here at The Bare Square.

Whether this is your first introduction or you’re an avid Ai Weiwei follower, this week is a great opportunity to get better acquainted. On Thursday, Paul Kasmin Gallery invites you to celebrate the opening of Ai Weiwei: Circle of Animals. The event marks not only the opening of this important exhibition but also the inauguration of Paul Kasmin’s new gallery space. But wait, there’s more…it’s also the book launch for Ai Weiwei: Circle of Animals, edited by Susan Delson and published by Prestel in association with AW Asia.

Ai Weiwei Circle of Animals book cover (from Amazon UK)

The new 10″ x 11″ hardcover book includes texts by Paola Dematte, Colin Jones, Kristina Kleutghen, Lark E. Mason, Charles Merewether, Marco Musillo, Karen Smith, and Joe-Hynn Yan. Inside it’s 222 pages are 180 illustrations of his monumental work in addition to a guided tour through the artist’s career.

In conjunction with the book launch, on view for the very first time are the gold set of Ai Weiwei’s bronze sculptures, Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads: Gold (2010).

The gallery’s website explains, “The twelve animal heads, each depicting a segment of the ancient Chinese zodiac, are based on a complex fountain and clock system that was built for an imperial retreat in 18th century China. Located at the Old Summer Palace just outside Beijing, the original fountain-clock was designed by two European Jesuits at the behest of Emperor Qianlong. When the retreat was looted by European soldiers, the bronze animal heads were stolen and only seven of the twelve are known to survive. Ai Weiwei has re-interpreted these objects, pursuing his ongoing exploration of the “fake” and the copy of the original, as well as the repatriation of cultural heritage.”

The current global contemporary art dialog certainly includes the name Ai Weiwei. W Magazine recently collaborated with the artist to release an issue dedicated to his work. Keep your finger on the pulse of the global contemporary art scene by checking out this influential artist’s work at Paul Kasmin Gallery this Thursday! If you can’t make the opening, make sure to head to Chelsea to see this exhibition before it closes on Dec. 23.

- Jen Wallace

Ai Weiwei: Circle of Animals
Paul Kasmin Gallery
Nov. 17 – Dec. 23
Opening Reception: THIS THURS, Nov. 17, 6-8pm
515 West 27th St.
New York, NY

Update (April 7, 12:42 pm): Reports today confirm the acknowledgement by Chinese officials of Ai’s arrest for “economic crimes.” Critics are calling the claims absurd, and no formal charges have been announced. Visit The Bare Square for more updates, or follow us on Twitter.

Ai Weiwei is a brilliant Chinese artist and political activist. In China, being an artist may be supported, but being a political activist can put you on the wrong side of a prison wall.

Ai Weiwei is well known for creating the sunflower seed installation in London’s Tate Modern.

Ai Weiwei sunflower seeds installation at Tate Modern London

At the request of the Chinese government, Ai also collaborated with the Swiss architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron on the design for Beijing’s Olympic stadium in 2008, known as the Bird’s Nest. The result was a widely acclaimed success.

According to The New York Times, “Then something startling happened: He denounced the Olympics as a feel-good whitewash on China’s repressive, market-hungry government.” Below, watch this video from 2007 with Ai Weiwei about the Bird’s Nest before the 2008 Olympic Games:

Arrested early Sunday morning at Beijing international airport, Ai is now the latest high-profile victim in the suppression of artists by Chinese officials.

Writer, professor and human rights activist also Liu Xiaobo also suffered from repression in China as a political prisoner. Having called for political reforms and the end to communist one-party rule, Liu is currently serving an eleven year sentence in China. Awarded the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize during his fourth prison term for “his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China,” Liu’s incarceration prevented his personal appearance as a recipient, and the government prevented him from sending a representative to accept the prize on his behalf.

This past Sunday, Ai Weiwei was about to board a flight to Hong Kong when taken away by the police. According to the Washington Post, “Police detained Ai on Sunday morning, and his assistants and attorneys said they were concerned that they have not had any communication with him since.”

Human rights demonstrators carrying a picture of Mr. Ai outside the China Liaison Office in Hong Kong yesterday. Credit: Kin Cheung/Associated Press

International free press advocates Reporters Without Borders said that a reporter used a cell phone to take photos of  the outside of Ai’s studio after Ai’s Sunday arrest. According the reporter, plainclothes Chinese police seized the phone, deleted the photo, and told him to leave.

All mention of Ai’s arrest have been deleted from Chinese websites, and Beijing police officials deny being aware of his arrest.

A total of 77 cyber-dissidents and 30 journalists are currently detained in China, which is ranked 171st out of 178 countries in the press freedom index that Reporters Without Borders released last October.

According to The New York Times, a large public art project by Ai Weiwei will go on as schedued to occupy the Pulitzer Fountain outside the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan starting early next month whether the artist is still detained or not. AW Asia, a Chinese contemporary art organization coordinating the project, says that the works are finished and have already arrived in New York. Larry Warsh, founder of AW Asia, did say, “I’m very concerned about him and his safety.”

-Jen Wallace