Worldwide sit-in planned in support of detained Chinese artist Ai Weiwei

The detention of artist Ai Weiwei by Chinese authorities has prompted a worldwide outcry from human rights groups, politicians and arts organizations. On Sunday, some of Ai's supporters are planning a show of solidarity through a peaceful sit-down in front of Chinese embassies, consulates and other government buildings around the world.

The sit-in is planned for 1 p.m. local time Sunday. Participants are being asked to bring chairs and gather outside Chinese government buildings "in support of the artist's immediate release." The event is being organized by Creative Time, a nonprofit organization that commissions and presents public art projects. The organization announced the sit-on this week on its Facebook page.

The address for the Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles is 443 Shatto Place, near Vermont and 6th streets.

Creative Time said that the planned sit-in is a reference to Ai's installation "Fairytale: 1001 Qing Dynasty Wooden Chairs" that was shown in 2007 at Documenta 12 in Kassel, Germany.

While the reasons for Ai's detention remain unclear, reports have stated that the Chinese government is building a case against the artist that involves tax fraud and "economic crimes." Many people believe that his detention is retaliation against the artist's criticism of the Communist Party in the past years.

Ai has publicly criticized the Chinese government for its handling of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, in which many children were killed as a result of shoddy construction of schoolhouses. He also has used Twitter and other social-networking tools to communicate with his supporters.

Ai was detained last week in Beijing as he was attempting to board a flight to Hong Kong. His whereabouts remain unknown.

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— David Ng

Photo (top): Ai Weiwei in 2010. Credit: Uwe Zucchi / EPA.

Photo (bottom): Ai in his Beijing studio. Credit: Alexander F. Yuan / Associated Press.

Comments

[dan]

We should call out "Galaxies wide sit-in planned in support of detained Chinese artist Ai Weiwei"

[rain]

Why a dissident cannot be a tax-evader? Madoff was charged for financial crime not because of his Jewish background but because he is a New Yorker – stealing money is something New Yorkers do too. Lets not forget Ai Weiwei was New Yorker too for12 years.

Apart from that, Ai also sole an art professor's brainchild by flying 1001 ordinary Chinese as "living exhibits" to the 12th Documenta contemporary art show held in the German city of Kassel in 2007. Dubbed "Fairytale", the mass visit cost 3.1 million Euros. Yue Luping, an art professor with the Academy of Fine Arts of Xi'an, the alleged author of the innovation, was too poor to realize his plan. Yet he did not receive credit in Ai's work.

"The plagiarism case is widely known among peers, but no one dared to bring it into the open because Ai, with his influence, was considered unchallengeable in art circles," well-known Chinese novelist Wang Shuo said in a previous post on his blog.

Meanwhile, you guys are so pre-occupied that refused to believe CCP that Birdnest was not designed by Ai Weiwei but by Mr. Li Xingang. Since God forbid you to listen to communist, let BBC do the spponfeeding jok:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7478923.stm

Want to know more about a different Ai Weiwei who hate China, Chinese and Chinese culture so much and why I'd say he is a NED paid stoogy representing western interest, come here :

http://www.bearcanada.com/china/aiaiai.html

[Joe]

@ Dan

First of all, the same Xinhua report that you cite also affirms that not one of the allegations they print has been proved. It is part of a smearing campaign aimed at making Ai look like a "maverick". If any accusation against him was proved and sound, they would publish it immediately. But even Xinhua, the official news agency of the gov, had to admit that they lack evidence.

Second, Ai was taken away -- not formally arrested -- by the police 12 days ago. The charges haven't been notified to the family or to anyone yet. He simply disappeared, without anybody being informed on his whereabouts ("Economic crimes" comes from a statement of a Chinese FM staff to the foreign press). Nobody legally "disappears" for economic crimes, in China.

Third, I don't see any evidence on your website proving that Ai is paid by the NED. If you have ever read anything written by Ai on the US, you wouldn't make this unsubstantiated claim. Ai's work to collect the names of the children who died in the Weichuan earthquake was supported by scores of Chinese and didn't turn in any "antirevolutionary riot" of sort.

Fourth, everybody knows that Ai "contributed" to the design of the nest, although he never claimed to be the only designer involved. He is often associated with it in newspapers for the mere reason that both Ai and the Nest are well-known to the Western public. I also don't see how this is related with the fact that he was "disappeared."

Fifth, on your blog you seem to suggest that his arrest is justified by the fact that his art is not patriotic enough. Another dubious way to justify an unlawful arrest.

[Joe]

my comment previous was aimed @ rain. apologies.

[jack]

Free aiweiwei