Last week, my wife and I visited the Ai Weiwei exhibition, “The Liberty Of Doubt“, being held at the Kettle’s Yard art gallery in Cambridge. For those who are unfamiliar with Ai Weiwei, the best way to describe him is as an artist and activist: his recently published memoir, 1,000 Years Of Joys And Sorrows, is a wonderful book, combining a potted history of China from the early 20th century up to the current day with recollections from his father’s and his own life.
The art on display is definitely contemporary and, in some cases, quite challenging: representations in marble of such everyday items as a Styrofoam takeaway box, iPhone case and even a sex toy tested my art appreciation mettle! However, the skill with which these objects are rendered is unquestionable and the ambition of some of the pieces is on a scale that can best be described as mind blowing. His “Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn” at this exhibition (depicted above behind the artist), rendered in thousands of Lego pieces, is both ingenuous and controversial.
But as well as being a wonderfully inventive creative, billed as China’s foremost living artist, Ai Weiwei stands apart from his peers because of his outspoken defence of human rights, and in particular his championing of free speech and expression. As a man who says what he believes and refuses to be quiet he has, for many decades, been in conflict with the Chinese Communist Party (he currently lives in Portugal, though keeps a base in Cambridge, where his son goes to school, and a studio in Berlin). That conflict has not come without a personal cost, one that most of us would be unwilling to pay. He has been beaten by the police, severely enough to have suffered brain damage (in fact, one of his new pieces in the exhibition is a representation of the MRI performed after the beating), and he has been held, initially without charge but then on the grounds of tax evasion, in conditions of extreme confinement and loss of all personal autonomy. We can say honestly that he has suffered for his art.
And then there’s COVID-19. Given his pronouncements on the origins of the virus (it’s “obvious it isn’t natural… it’s something that leaked”) and his unabashed comments about vaccine mandates (“For or against the vaccine should be individuals’ autonomous decision, made for themselves and according to their social interaction, so society does not have the right to make vaccine compulsory”) it’s clear that his commitment to natural human rights is unwavering. Ever the individualist, Weiwei made his position about personal autonomy clear: “Regardless of the type of society, individuals are entitled to accurate information and then they can voluntarily collaborate with the Government or not. This decision should belong to individuals.” These statements are more than simply words, they drive his art which, in turn, appears as explicit and public manifestations of his commitment to freedom. Pieces showcased in the current exhibition include Handcuffs and Marble Toilet Paper (yes, it is a roll) which he made in 2020 as a “symbol of panic and distrust”.
So, given the totality of Weiwei’s output, the sheer essence of the man, it was extraordinary to witness the behaviour of the public while in the galleries. Nearly 100% of those we saw were wearing masks. While viewing the work of a man who has spent his life poking the bear of authority, and whose work is deeply political and celebrates the rights of the individual, the visitors seemed oblivious to the irony of sporting the most public expression of coercion and compliance. Perhaps these masked admirers of Ai Weiwei the artist hadn’t made the connection with Ai Weiwei the activist and lockdown sceptic; or they felt uncomfortable not demonstrating their membership of the cult of conformity (or perhaps they didn’t care). Either way, the cognitive dissonance was strong and left my wife and I both amused and frustrated, yet bemused: why should Cambridge, a highly esteemed centre of learning and academic excellence, be so full of fearers, adherents of the Cult of Covid and the useless face mask? It’s almost as if there’s an inverse relationship between IQ and old-fashioned common sense.
For those not familiar with Ai Weiwei, this is his life.
Born in 1957, in Beijing, his father, the poet Ai Qing, was labelled a “rightist” in 1958 and Ai and his family were exiled, first to Heilongjiang, in north-eastern China, and then soon after to the deserts of Xinjiang, in north-western China close to the Borth Korean border.
Following the death of Mao Zedong in 1976, Ai Qing was rehabilitated and the family moved back to Beijing. Ai enrolled at the Beijing Film Academy and was one of the original members of the ‘Stars’ group of artists.
He moved to the United States in 1981, living in New York between 1983 and 1993. He briefly studied at the Parsons School of Design. In New York, Ai would discover the works of Marcel Duchamp and Andy Warhol. Returning to China in 1993 to care for his ailing father, Ai contributed to the establishment of Beijing’s East Village, a community of avant-garde artists. In 1997, he co-founded the China Art Archives & Warehouse (CAAW), one of the first independent art spaces in China.
He began to take an interest in architecture in 1999, designing his own studio house in Caochangdi, on the northeast edge of Beijing. In 2003, Ai started his own architecture practice, FAKE Design. In 2007, as a participant of documenta 12, Ai brought 1,001 Chinese citizens to Kassel as part of his Fairytale project. In 2008, for the Beijing Olympics, Ai and the Swiss architecture team of Herzog and de Meuron designed the National Stadium .
In 2010, Ai covered the floor of the Turbine Hall at Tate Modern with 100 million porcelain sunflower seeds.
In 2011, Ai was arrested on charges of tax evasion, jailed for 81 days, and then released. The Government kept his passport and refused him any other travel papers.
In 2012, Ai Weiwei was awarded the Václav Havel Prize for Creative Dissent by the Human Rights Foundation.
In 2015, following the return of his passport, Ai moved to Berlin where he maintained a large studio in a former brewery. He lived in the studio and used it as the base for his international work.
He was awarded the Ambassador of Conscience Award by Amnesty International for his actions in support of the defence of human rights.
In 2019, he announced he would be leaving Berlin, saying that Germany is not an open culture. In September 2019, he moved to live in Cambridge, England.
As of 2021, Ai lives in Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal. He still maintains a base in Cambridge, where his son attends school, and a studio in Berlin. Ai says he will stay in Portugal long-term “unless something happens”.
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What’s much more shocking is that 80% of people support some kind of left wing party, including a whopping 44% for Loony Labour, and that 19% are deluded conservatives who think the Tories are worth voting for.
This is, of course, a country perfectly at ease with lockdowns, 32% of whose voters voted for Corbyn in 2019, a bigger proportion than voted for Major in 1997.
42% of voters voted for the quite dreadful Blair’s Britain that surrounds us.
We can confidently expect the sale of ‘footer bags’, black football shorts, to increase dramatically after the election so all one can reasonably do at this stage is advise the welkin to purchase shares in sportswear companies……
Indeed
The football shorts remark went over my head I am afraid, and I don’t know what “welkin” means
‘(P.G. Wodehouse’s) Spode, who is clearly based on Oswald Mosley, is the leader of a militaristic fascist group called the Blackshorts (shorts because all the shirt colours had already been taken)’
I have not got round to Wodehouse. Too many things to read, too little time left.
Which assholes downvoted that perfectly sensible comment?
But transmissionofflame I still hold the DS world record for 100% downvotes with no upvotes so you have not taken my title.
There are at least seven DS readers who think Wodehouse is a must-read? I’m currently reading “The Idiot” – let’s see if that meets with the approval of the literary critics among us
Shockingly, I nearly upvoted you. That would never do would it.
I’m currently going for a new DS world record here:
My Comment on Watch the Game-Changing New Film That Explodes Climate Change and Net Zero Lies
Down-vote for me now please and help me achieve a new 100% DS world record of down-votes.
Down-vote for me.
Yes. Do it. Do it now.
I don’t downvote, sorry. It has always seemed silly to me.
In this case it is in a good cause.
Just one little down-vote here just for little old me: My Comment on Watch the Game-Changing New Film That Explodes Climate Change and Net Zero Lies
Welkin: firmament: in biblical cosmology, the dome created by God separating the earthly realm from the heavens
So a probably not strictly accurate way of saying ‘everyone’ without actually saying everyone.
My apologies.
No apology required – I’ve learnt something!
Perhaps that is because I hear that 70% of people still get their news from the BBC. It is very difficult for people busy with work and family life to have time to investigate every issue. They probably think Investigative Journalists are doing that for them when they switch on their 6 O’clock News. But if 70% get their news from a leftist spouting channel (BBC) they assume is impartial with no axe to grind, then is should not come as a surprise that a vast amount of the public get influenced by that.
Possibly, but also people are just weird if you ask me.
Before “covid”, I got all my news from mainstream sources. Have always been fairly cynical, but started to smell a rat with Brexit and Trump 2016, worst fears confirmed by the scamdemic. Mrs ToF still gets her news from mainstream sources but doesn’t believe much of it.
A lot of people just go along with whatever they think most other people are going along with, whatever seems to be the trend, rather than thinking for themselves.
Let us hope that every Conservative Councillor in the land who is privately disgusted with their party can find the decency to say enough is enough, throw in their party membership and serve the rest of their time out as an independent candidate in order to regain some respect from their electorate and distance themselves from this wretched party that is wrecking our nation.
I’m amazed there are any left
We are getting very close to the Tipping Point. It will perhaps need half a dozen defections (which is quite possible) or Farage to make a decisive commitment to the Reform GE campaign to make this certain. Then it’s all over for the Tories – imho. Their betrayal(s), added to their sheer incompetence and wilful ignorance over the past 14 years will seal their demise.
If Reform can pick up the right of centre standard and continue to opposed Net Zero, Immigration and wokery, then I can’t see what the Tories could ever offer to make a return. They were warned enough times, but always thought they knew best. Soon Camoron, Treason, Buffoon and Wishy Washi will be but a distance (unpleasant) memory.
The largest hurdle facing Reform as a credible party is overcoming the First Past the Post Voting System. They are highly likely to get a large number of 2nd places behind Labour and Conservative candidates, but any wins could be difficult.
Under PR, with 20% they’d be getting something like 120 MPs.
The local elections might be interesting, to see how they perform at a more grass roots level.
Yup, I was wondering whether there would be a tipping point. When the bulk of those who’ve voted Conservative in the past conclude that a vote for the Conservatives only helps put Der Stürmer in number 10.
Despite the trashing of just about anything sensible and substituting it with wind farms, solar panels, electric cars and heat pumps etc, one in twelve folk are still daft enough to vote for the green party. Incomprehensible!
Surely the oddest thing, if it’s in any way true, is that Tory MPs & Alison Pearson believe they’d be better off with Penny Morduant. What problem would that solve? Would a single disaffected Tory think “at last! Morduant, a Tory I can vote for!” What with her desire for self ID, transwomen are women line. Bonkers.
Indeed. I would hope that a lot of “disaffected Tories” are covid sceptics and as such would not contemplate voting for any Tory leader or MP who did not speak up the time (that’s more or less all of them) – short of a Bridgen-like repentance.
Clearly Alison Pearson does not appreciate that the Tory Party is rotten to its very and that its electoral oblivion is the only thing that can save conservatism.
Do the latest polls mean last orders at the Carlton ?
trebles all round ?
oh and who will turn off the lights ?
Shocking only to people who live absorbed in a certain media world and who don’t observe too much of the real world around them.
I’m a bit confused. Didn’t Tice say that he was pro jab a few years ago? That said he has changed his tune now. Reform is the only party to commit to an investigation into excess deaths as well, will be a vote winner if the sheep wake up.
It would be good to know Corbyn’s views (I mean Jeremy not his antivaxx brother – good on him) on jabs, he’s certainly said he was dead against any form of compulsory vaccinations ever and especially for care home and NHS staff. Interestingly he’s also refused point blank to reveal whether or not he’s jabbed, – which probably means he isn’t. Maybe another reason why the lovely liberal caring Labour party booted him out. Oh, sorry I forgot. He was kicked out because the powers controlling Labour Friends of Israel MP’s wanted him gone. I mean they do get an awful lot of money from them.
Tipping point?
Tice needs an effective strategy urgently to ensure:
1. Ordinary, non-political people understand that a vote for the Unaparty maintains the globalist status quo (globalism, Carbonocracy, wokism, covidism, open borders, massive state spending, massive taxation).
2. Agreement with other independents there will be only one, clear, unambiguous anti-Unaparty candidate in every constituency.
“The Mail says Sunak is “begging his panicking MPs to ‘stick to the plan’”.
Plan?
Well that’s firkin news to me. Or as a Geordie might say “Haway and shyte.”
Sunak is play-acting. Nobody could be so utterly dim and stupid to believe that destroying the country bit by bit, day by day was going to result in a successful election outcome.
”Rishi Sunak needs to get some balls”. Well said, Adam Brooks. I mean, even some lady balls would be an improvement, to be fair, but we all know that 1) Sushi is a WEF puppet weasel, and 2) Nobody’s going to stop the flaming boats. Not even Reform.
https://twitter.com/DaveAtherton20/status/1770890513979158992
Edit: I dig your Geordie lingo
*Hadaway* ( Not of the ”What is love?” 90s classic either. )
Thanks Mogs and I agree with your comments
And can we see anyone getting sent to Rwanda ever? Well I don’t think so. Agree with Farage here;
”Here @Nigel_Farage
comments on the 500 people who crossed the Channel yesterday, & the stabbing.
“There are some very bad people among them, who will do our country great harm”.
He can’t see even if the Rwanda Bill passes, the law & judiciary will stop all flights.”
https://twitter.com/DaveAtherton20/status/1770738823250514409
Rwanda Bill – the epitome of gaslighting. Actually beyond gaslighting because Fishy knew it was all bollox from the off. A complete con.
Why is it a shock?
The Treacherous Tories have deliberately betrayed the voters who gave them an 80 seat majority. They are reaping exactly what they deserve.
You’ve got to respect the effort Toby puts in to stop the system from being derailed. Toby, bless him, still hasn’t worked out that most people know, with absolute certainty, where those rails lead. He hasn’t worked that out because I know, with absolute certainty, that he thinks the proles are incapable of working it out.
I am afraid that our democracy only worked in the days when we were a monoculture, mono-ethnic country. The future is only disorder and probably violence, eventually. The muzzies will keep pressing their case using threats of violence to scare MPs and the weaker members of our society into helping them implement a sharia state. And, then, hopefully, enough indigenous will show that they will not stand for that. The military and the police-stasi will have to take sides, and our country will be in flames. All thanks to polticians deciding that they can operate parliament as an undemocratic den of thieves and traitors.
Toby Young will carry on muttering that things can be solved by voting, whilst the bullets fly around his head.
Time we all woke up and looked at where this is all going
We are a weak nation and always have been, but once we had the moatd around us which stopped most enemies and we could use force to stop bad people. Now we are regulated and strangled by laws that protect the rights of criminals and invaders over law abiding people. A lot of suffering coming I think.
Off topic I know..but that pic of Sunak….who the freck wears a hoodie with a tie??
A billionaire who’s too stupid to buy an eye-patch.
Who the F. wears a hoody?
The past 14 years have earned the Tories the right to be eradicated.
George Osborne’s austerity with David Cameron started the ball rolling. Traitors sadly to their own country – starting racking up the current eye-watering national debt.
To whom did they sell us out? What did they get from it?
.