Posted By aidan on April 27, 2011

China’s most well known contemporary artist, Ai Weiwei, has been missing since the 3rd April when he was seized by the Chinese authorities at Beijing airport. The disappearance of such a popular figure has drawn much attention both within China itself and on the global stage. With no one having seen or heard from Ai in over 3 weeks, calls for his release are becoming increasingly strident. The British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, has asked the Chinese government to ‘urgently clarify Ai’s situation and well being’ and more than 1000 protestors took to the streets of Hong Kong on Saturday in an attempt to regain the artist’s freedom.

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As well as being an internationally acclaimed artist, curator and architectural designer, Ai Weiwei is also renowned for his social and cultural criticism of China. He has been keen to investigate government corruption and cover-ups while also defending human rights and pushing for political reforms that he believes would better serve the Chinese people. After the Sichuan earthquake in 2008, Ai tried to draw attention to the terrible fate of thousands of children who died as a result of shoddily built schools. Instead of being praised for his efforts, Ai was subject to such a severe beating by the Chinese police that he suffered a brain haemorrhage in 2009. This alone makes the question of Ai’s safety a pressing concern for the global community. Yet the situation is made more urgent, considering that his recent disappearance has come amid the brutal implementation of a much wider crackdown on dissent. Since February of this year, some of China’s most prominent human rights lawyers such as Teng Biao, Li Tianhian and Liu Shihui have simply vanished with no one seeming able to account for their whereabouts. Many writers, artists and activists have also suffered a similar fate or been subject to beatings, house arrest, criminal charges and detention; thus indicating that freedom of expression is given only to those who do not dare to criticize the government.

Chinese officials have been vague about the reason for Ai’s disappearance but give the impression that he is undergoing investigation for crimes concerning tax evasion and distribution of pornography on the Internet. To many these alleged crimes seem to have little truth behind them and Ai’s family are certain that they are merely a pretext under which the government is now attempting to fight back against his activism. With every day that goes past, the idea that these ‘crimes’ are simply a guise, for the Chinese government’s more sinister political motives, becomes ever more convincing.

It is precisely those artists, who are courageous enough to take on a public role and stand up against aggressive authoritarianism, whom we need to be concerned for and for whose safety we must ensure. The Lisson Gallery, who remain committed to hosting an exhibition of Ai Weiwei’s work next month, have reiterated the importance of this message.

‘We are extremely alarmed by the detention of Ai Weiwei and his colleagues and are greatly concerned for his safety. Ai Weiwei is one of the leading cultural figures of his generation and consistently displays great courage in placing himself at risk to affect social change through his art. He serves as an example for legitimate social criticism and free expression both in China and internationally. Lisson Gallery has a long history of working with political artists and we strongly condemn any form of artistic suppression. We continue to support Ai Weiwei and are fully committed to staging his first solo exhibition at the gallery, opening 13 May 2011.’ Greg Hilty, Director, Lisson Gallery

We at Meller Merceux Gallery will continue to watch this whole episode with interest……

 Written by Kyle Reeves

Categories: Artist News, Must-See Exhibitions
Tags: Chinese Art, contemporary art, Meller Merceux, modern art, Oxford, Oxford Gallery, Oxfordshire, Revolution, Tate Modern, Witney