Karen Patterson, artist Wu Yuren’s wife. (image via thestar.com)
In a protest that has become practice in China, Karen Patterson is starting a movement to flood imprisoned Chinese artist Wu Yuren (aka “Little Ai”) with Christmas cards as a gesture of support. The artist has been imprisoned for his participation in a protest against studio demolitions since May 31, 2010.
Patterson, the artist’s wife, has been organizing support behind Wu since his imprisonment. This includes a website with information on the artist and the (illogical) causes behind his abduction as well as suggestions for how to support him. Karen’s most recent post calls for a letter campaign to Wu, a “Holiday Postcard Campaign.” She encourages supporters to send postcards to Wu’s detention center.
As letters of support pile up in demonstration of support, the Chinese police have been known to release detainees in the face of increased public scrutiny. To show your support for Wu against his wrongful imprisonment by the authorities in Beijing, send a (fake-addressed, fake-named if you so desire) letter to:
Beijing City, Chaoyang District, Chaoyang Criminal Detention Center
#29 Chaoyang Beilu, ATTENTION: Wu Yuren
In Chinese, that’s:
北京市朝阳区朝阳看守所朝阳北路29号，收：吴玉仁
Just be sure to put Wu Yuren’s name on the front of the envelope. While we’re going through our own issues with censorship in the US today, it’s important to remember that other countries only have a fraction of the artistic freedom that we enjoy here.
Show your support for Wu, and do something concrete to fight this oppression.
北京市朝阳区朝阳看守说朝阳北路29号，收：吴玉仁
There’s a mistake in the address: the 11th character from the left is “说” (to speak), it should be “所” (place), it’s part of the word “Detention Center”. A mistake in the address could be a pretext for not delivering a letter.