– according to Ji Ruan – who reserves some rights over this photograph, if not the graffito – all over Hong Kong: Who’s afraid of Ai Weiwei / 谁在害怕艾未未
Calin Dan writes [Spectre, 16/04/11]: “why on earth do we need a celebrity to have problems in order to begin looking in the direction of a country that rolls over practically ALL of our standards concerning individual affirmation, freedom of speech and information, protection of the environment, free affirmation of ethnic and religious identity?”
He calls his commitment to political activism personal, saying, “If you don’t speak out, if you don’t clear your mind, who are you?” And his mother’s proud of him.
Ai Wei-wei: You can’t just say that the system is flawed, you have to work through the system and show it in all of its detail and that’s the only way that you can ultimately make a critique.
Ai Wei-wei declared the Communist Party’s demolition of his new Shang-hai studio complex, which he filmed and broadcast live online – the studios had taken him two years to build – to be one of his most powerful artworks ever.
Do ever examine yourself to see why is it that you are so fearless compared to other people?
Ai Wei-wei: I am so fearful. That’s not fearless. I’m more fearful than other people, maybe. Then I act more brave, because I know the danger is really there. If you don’t act, the danger becomes stronger.
The case of Ai Wei-wei is simply not relevant to New Zealanders; the fate of Ai Wei-wei is just not relevant for New Zealanders:
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