Chinese Artist Ai Weiwei Is Sprung From Jail
It took two months and not-so-subtle protests from within and beyond the art world, but on Wednesday the Chinese government freed 54-year-old artist Ai Weiwei from prison, hinting at tax issues and not artistic dissent as the reason behind his stint in lockup.
It took two months and not-so-subtle protests from within and beyond the art world, but on Wednesday the Chinese government freed 54-year-old artist Ai Weiwei from prison, hinting at tax issues and not artistic dissent as the reason behind his stint in lockup. Authorities praised Ai’s “good attitude in confessing his crimes” as a contributing factor in his release. –KA
Rock Solid JournalismLos Angeles Times:
Whereas dozens of others have been arrested over the last six months in a crackdown on activists, it was Ai — by dint of his stature in the art world — who inspired petitions and demonstrations across the world. In London, the Tate Modern gallery installed large black letters across its facade reading, “Free Ai Weiwei.” In New York, a Cuban artist used a slide projector at night to cast the artist’s face onto the Chinese Consulate.
In 2026, amid chaos and the nonstop flurry of headlines, Truthdig remains independent, fact-based and focused on exposing what power tries to hide.
Support Independent Journalism.
Filmmaker Alison Klayman documents what she learned about Donald Trump’s former adviser after spending a tumultuous year with him.
In an exclusive Q&A, the visual artist and director discusses free speech, democracy and contemporary politics.
The artist-turned-filmmaker has broken a number of barriers by focusing on the humanity of tens of millions of people forgotten by Europe and America.
Artists at galleries in Los Angeles and New York zoom in on some of the world’s 60,000 displaced people—and one “solution” for dealing with them.
“Seven on Seven: Empathy and Disgust,” a New York event, couples artists with technologists or activists and gives them 24 hours to produce something. And those “somethings” turn out to be most interesting.
By 2014, the Obama administration will have deported more people than were expelled from 1892 to 1997; a majority of Californians believe that increasing the number of guidance counselors in schools would be more beneficial for safety than adding armed police officers; and while some see the fall of print journalism as a tragedy, others see it as an opportunity. These discoveries and more after the jump.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.