ai weiwei | Asia News – Politics, Media, Education

Archives

Ai Weiwei uses music to mock state power in China

By AP News Wed, May 22, 2013 2:48PM UTC 0 Comment

BEIJING (AP) — Two emotionless prison guards watch Ai Weiwei as he eats, sleeps, paces, showers — and even sits on the toilet — in the Chinese artist’s new obscenity-filled, metaphor-rich music video mocking state power. The video accompanying the visual artist’s heavy metal single “Dumbass,” released Wednesday, is meant to reconstruct his 81-day detention...

Read Full Story ›

WATCH: Ai Weiwei releases heavy-metal music video

By Asian Correspondent Wed, May 22, 2013 12:00PM UTC 0 Comment

Controversial Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei has released his new single ‘Dumbass’. In the video and song he hits back at the prison guards who abused him when he was detained in 2011. Watch the video and read the (explicit) lyrics in English and Chinese below. Dumbass (Explicit Lyrics) When you’re ready to...

Read Full Story ›

Elton John dedicates Beijing show to Ai Weiwei

By AP News Mon, Nov 26, 2012 6:52PM UTC 1 Comment

Elton John performs during his concert in Beijing. Pic: AP.

BEIJING (AP) — Pop icon Elton John publicly dedicated his only concert in Beijing to Chinese artist and political critic Ai Weiwei, sending a murmur of shock through an audience accustomed to tight censorship of entertainment. Minutes into a more than two-hour show Sunday night, John told the audience that the performance was dedicated “to...

Read Full Story ›

Legal fight lost, Ai starts repaying fans’ loans

By AP News Thu, Nov 01, 2012 10:54AM UTC 0 Comment

BEIJING (AP) — Dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei said Wednesday that he has started returning money to his supporters after exhausting all legal channels to fight a massive tax bill that his backers saw as punishment for his activism. After the government levied a $2.4 million tax bill on Ai’s design firm last year, tens...

Read Full Story ›

China’s Ai Weiwei loses appeal against tax fine

By AP News Thu, Sep 27, 2012 12:23PM UTC 0 Comment

Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei. Pic: AP.

BEIJING (AP) — Activist artist Ai Weiwei says Chinese authorities have rejected his second attempt to appeal a $2.4 million tax fine, meaning his design company will have to pay the penalty. Ai and his supporters have interpreted the fine as official retaliation against his activism. Ai says he wasn’t surprised by Thursday’s ruling by...

Read Full Story ›