Ai Weiwei – Berlin Gallery Spotlights Work of Detained Chinese Artist

“Tree” and “Rock“, Ai Weiwei installation at the Neugerriemschneider gallery in Berlin

Emilie Trice has written “Berlin Gallery Spotlights Ai Weiwei, Detained Chinese Artist”, a short article in the Travel section of The New York Times, looking at the Chinese dissent artist, now being held by Chinese authorities, and two of his works on show at the Neugerriemschneider gallery (Linienstrasse 155; 49-30-2887-7277) in Berlin through June 2011.

Ai Weiwei in his Beijing studio on 7 March 2011

See our previous posts on Ai Weiwei, here.

images: Top, Galerie Neugerriemschneider, photograph by Jens Ziehe and bottom, Shiho Fukada/The New York Times

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Salman Rushdie on the Dissident Chinese Artist Ai Weiwei

 

Ai Weiwei’s “release is a matter of extreme urgency and the governments of the free world have a clear duty in this matter.”, states, with urgent clarity, Salman Rushdie

image: Rodrigo Corral & Jennifer Carrow/The New York Times

The eminent writer and social observer Salman Rushdie has written a short, clear article entitled “Dangerous Arts” as an op-ed contributor to The Opinion Pages of The New York Times.  Rushdie states his, and a great many others’, view of the arrest and detention of the dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei by the Chinese government and urges others, artists in the forefront, to speak out, mobilise, and urge their own governments to make it very clear that the Chinese authorities’ treatment of Mr. Ai, and others, is unacceptable.

As Mr. Rushdie states his point, “Today the government of China has become the world’s greatest threat to freedom of speech, and so we need Ai Weiwei, Liao Yiwu and Liu Xiaobo” and others who dare to speak out.

See our previous post on the arrest of Ai Weiwei, “Ai Weiwei – Artist, Architect & Living Symbol of China’s Conscience“, here.

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Ai Weiwei – Artist, Architect & Living Symbol of China’s Conscience

The Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei and one of the elements of his work “Zodiac”

image: AW Asia/The New York Times

Holland Cotter has written a thoughtful, informed and hopeful short article entitled “An Artist Takes Role of China’s Conscience” in the Art & Design section of The New York Times looking at the life, work and international artistic and ethical importance of the Chinese contemporary activist artist, architect and social commentator Ai Weiwei and his recent arrest by Chinese authorities.  Whether or not Ai Weiwei’s art, on a visual level, speaks to you directly, his work, on a more general, human level, should.

Slideshow, here.

Here is a link to Ai Weiwei’s official site, here is a link to his official Twitter account (in Chinese), and here is a link to Ai Weiwei’s official blog (shut down by Chinese authorities).

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Google Accuses China of Blocking Gmail Service

A Google logo

image: Google

David Barboza and Claire Cain Miller have written a short but interesting article entitled “Google Accuses Chinese of Blocking Gmail Service” in the Technology section of The New York Times, looking into “disruptions” in the Gmail service in China which Google states are part of  “a government blockage, carefully designed to look like the problem is with Gmail.”  A never-ending battle?

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The Truly Enormous Chinese Censorship Machine

Shiho Fukada for The New York Times

An Internet cafe in Beijing. Some Internet cafes and schools use filtering software, and a version for cellphones is in development.

Michael Wines, Sharon Lafraniere and Jonathan Ansfield have written an important, informative, and rather comprehensive article entitled “China’s Censors Tackle and Trip Over the Internet” in the Asia Pacific section of The New York Times (online) which examines the various components of the Chinese censorship machine, the tactics it employs and the consequences, in and for China, and elsewhere in the world.  If you’ve even a marginal interest in freedom and liberty read on…
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