A fine art, film, history and literature site oriented to, but not exclusively for, the gay community. Please be aware that there is mature content on this blog. Information on images and links to sources will be provided if known. Enjoy your visit and please subscribe.
Ai Weiwei, “He Xie (River Crab)”, 2010, Porcelain
The installation “He Xie” consists of 3,200 porcelain crab sculptures. They were created after Chinese authorities ransacked and destroyed Weiwei’s studio in 2010. Following that event, a feast of real river crabs was hosted by Weiwei, who was unable to attend, due to his house arrest. The term “He Xie” is a homophone for “harmonious” in Chinese and has also become a term for internet censorship.
Ai Weiwei, “Grapes”, Details, Qing Dynasty Stools, 2011, Collection of Larry Warsh, New York
By reassembling Qing Dynasty furniture, which was constructed by traditional joinery techniques without glue or nails, Ai transforms the meaning and function of these cultural artefacts. Here he reconfigures a collection of wooden stools into a group resembling an organically formed cluster of grapes. The arrangement serves as a metaphor for the relationship between the individual and the collective, signifying the deferral of personal interests to those of the community and state characteristic of China’s socialist history.
The linked structure of Grapes also recalls the idea of networks and communication, which are recurrent motifs in the Ai work. Manufactured by skilled craftsmen, this type of three-legged stool was used for centuries in China by all kinds of people – the rich and the poor, in towns and in the country. Every family had one, and they were passed on through many generations.
Ai Weiwei, “Circle of Animals/ Zodiac Heads”, Somerset House, London, England, 12 Bronze Casts, Each Ten Feet Tall.
Despite acclaim in his home country – receipt of the Chinese Contemporary Art Award for Lifetime Contribution in 2008; his close work with architects Herzog & de Meuron in designing the “Bird’s Nest” National Olympic Stadium for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games; his reputation as one of China’s top artists; and his father’s status as one of China’s most renowned poets – contemporary Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has frequently found himself at odds with the Chinese government.
Such is the case in 2011 as his “Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads” went on view in the courtyard of London’s Somerset House. What was originally scheduled as a press call to interview Ai Weiwei and an opportunity to photograph the artist with his “Circle of Animals” was altered to a sans artist event due to his disappearance in early April of 2011. Ai Weiwei’s whereabouts were unknown. Although no explanation was given for his disappearance, it was widely believed Ai Weiwei was detained by Chinese authorities in response to the online publication of a photograph featuring Ai Weiwei naked except for a toy horse covering his genitals along with a caption in Mandarin that could be interpreted as “Fuck your mother, the party central committee.”
In 21 June 2012, Ai Weiwei’s bail was lifted. Although he is allowed to leave Beijing, the police informed him that he is still prohibited from traveling to other countries because he is “suspected of other crimes,” including pornography, bigamy and illicit exchange of foreign currency. As of 2014, he remains under heavy surveillance and restrictions of movement, but continues to criticize through his work.