Why Was Weiwei Whisked Away?

Ai Weiwei fucking up some Priceless Vase = Art

It really blows my mind that one of the most prominent, politically vocal and current artists alive can just be vaporised out of existence by the Chinese government. It is less of an issue of how, because, frankly, if the government over there want you gone, the wind is what you shall become. It's more a question of why. Moreover, why risk it?

Now, Ai Wei Wei has been a bloody nuisance to the PRC [People's Republic of China]. His art primarily deals with China's contemporary role in the world, as well as Chinese tradition and culture, which is just about tolerated by the PRC. No, his friction with the government comes from being an outspoken critic of the autocratic nature of the government. He is a fervent promoter of freedom of speech, something sadly lacking in his home country, and has got him into a whole heap of shit.

Back in 2008, China seems to have turned the corner. After 30 years of political isolation, they were hosting the biggest show on Earth, allowing 204 countries into their realm and, at the centre of it all was the Bird's Nest designed by Herzog & De Meuron in collaboration with, you guessed it, Ai Weiwei. China, for the first time in a long time were crawling from underneath the stone of surreptitiousness with its star artist in tow.

Not Pictured: Artistic Integrity
[Although to be fair he lost that when
he did the Crystal Skull]

Then something happened. Ai refused to be photographed with the building and started to criticise the Olympics as a whole, directing his disappointment to Steven Spielberg and Zhang Yimou [Directors of both Olympic Ceremonies] saying "All the shitty directors in the world are involved. It's disgusting," Ai said. "I don't like anyone who shamelessly abuses their profession, who makes no moral judgment. It is mindless." Asked about why he designed the Olympic Stadium if he was so opposed to it, he stated "I did it because I love design and the idea of how it would be looked at by others."

He hated that the Olympic games, a symbol for freedom and global togetherness was being used as a propaganda tool by the PRC stating "I hate the kind of feeling stirred up by promotion or propaganda … It's the kind of sentiment when you don't stick to the facts, but try to make up something, to mislead people away from a true discussion." 

Bird's Nest Stadium.
Not Pictured: Ai Weiwei taking a piss on it.

He abhorred that the stadium has become a shining symbol of Modern China calling it a "pretend smile...I would feel ashamed if I just designed something for glamour or to show some kind of fake image." From this point on, Ai was under extremely close surveillance. A year and a half later, his studio was knocked down for being 'illegally built', followed by his disappearance and that of a few of his studio personel.


Lets put this in a little context, shall we, kids? Lets say one of our many prominent artists, lets pick Damien Hurst [public, not personal opinion], decided to go out in public and call David Cameron a"Shit-eating public school prick".Repercussions? none. The last thing I would expect Cameron to do is bag Hirst in a 4x4 and keep him in the Downing Street basement with a sock in his mouth, goading him by calling him a speccy twat while knuckle-dusting his face.

But why would China risk kidnapping someone with such an international reputation, shining a very bright light on all the shady goings-on in autocratic China? Why couldn't they let him talk his trash and leave him alone, and show how far they have come from the cultural revolution of the 60's, instead of proving that it was still deeply woven into the fabric of modern China?

As far as I'm concerned the PRC are in a lose lose scenario. Kill him and risk a tsunami of humanitarian backlash, not just from the international community, but internally too. Let him go, and Ai Weiwei, already vocal before this happened, will exile to the west and give a gritty recount of all that happened. I hope for the sake of Ai and his family that it's the latter.

Free Ai Weiwei!

AL/