早上好。新的一天。葵花子？
This man's name if you haven't already heard of him is Ai Wei Wei. He is an artist from China and probably one of the most well known public figures there because he believes and practices free speech though his art and community activism. In a country where citizens are too afraid of their government to speak out, WeiWei has become their voice and for that he has been subjected to imprisonment, police beatings, the bull dozing of his studio and more recently arrested for alleged tax evasion, which is most likely political.
In the above picture he holds sunflower seeds made from porcelain, almost indistinguishable from the real seeds. Each seed was hand made and painted by 1,600 Chinese artisans who lost their jobs making traditional pottery. The seeds are made using the same methods that have been used for centuries. Below his feet are the 100+ Million seeds that took nearly 3 years to complete. The work reveals much about Chinese industrialism, culture and tradition and the social economic climate there. It is hard to imagine the number of seeds until you are walking on them; and even harder to imagine, despite the large number, they still only represent 1/16 of the population of China. WeiWei describes in a Frontline interview that, he chose the sunflower seed because it is a symbol of poverty as many Chinese people sustain themselves on it and consider a pocket full to be a joy.
After an earthquake in China that killed many people including many school children, the government, in an effort to down play the event and hide faulty building practices, refused to release the names of the victims. Issuing only a "So Sorry" statement. WeiWei and other community organizers went on a mission to collect the names of the victims which he published on his blog. Following that event, the Government began to follow him, censure his blog, put him on surveillance etc. The piece eventually became the facade of the museum for an art showing he held in Germany. The work was made using school bags, one for each of the "officially" nameless children. The installation spelled out a quote from victim's mother that read, "She lived happily for seven years in this world". It was titled So Sorry.
He was preparing to testify a few month before the opening of the Germany showing, in defense of his friend who was investigating the faulty building practices that led to death of all those people. He was detained and beaten by police and never allowed to speak in court.
His battles with the Chinese authority will only continue because he represents a spirit that is being oppressed in China. Still he continues to blog and create art. And today, he inspired me. Who wrote a blog you clicked on, read through and decided to post a link to share with your friends. Stand up. Speak out. Thanks.
