Art
I get lots of emails from people these days asking about the Beijing art scene. What's it like? How does it compare to New York and Los Angeles? In a country of 1 billion people, with a number of different art centers, there's of course no simple answer. But if America's art mecca is Chelsea in New
Art
There's Communism in the air here in Beijing! With the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party having just passed (per official accounts, the Party was founded July 1, 1921), China is in the midst of a country-wide celebration—and one that presents the perfect opportunity to
Art
Artists Stephanie Rothenberg and Dan S. Wang's Beijing-based Journey West Travel Office is both performance and installation, a blend of “fake real” that explores tourism, mass culture and "the aesthetics of America's parking lots."
Opinion
This week's Required Reading examines how copyright law impacts images by animals, art's LGBT problem, a history of English, China's political prisoners, against reviews and Frank Lloyd Wright's dislike of intellectuals.
News
Popular angst rock group Radiohead has just joined Sina Weibo, China's popular microblogging service—and their account has attracted nearly 70,000 followers after a single post.
Art
Ever wondered what New York City looks like through the eyes of a great artist? In a newly opened exhibition at Asia Society, viewers get the chance to see how recently released Chinese artist Ai Weiwei saw New York City in a series of diaristic photos taken between 1983 and 1993.
News
According to Ai Weiwei's lawyer Liu Xiaoyuan, Ai's FAKE studio has been accused (and seemingly convicted) of evading over 5 million RMB ($770,000 USD) and is to pay 7 million RMB ($1 million USD) in fines, together totaling around $2 million USD. Ai's mother Gao Ying speaks on her son's arrest, rele
News
Ai Weiwei assistant Duyan Pili broke the news that Ai's FAKE studio architect Liu Zhenggang and accountant Hu Mingfen have also been released from custody following the artist's release two days ago. Ai's cousin and driver Zhang Jinsong was released yesterday. Reporter Wen Tao is still detained, but
News
On Wednesday, I was invited to Al Jazeera to give a context for Ai Weiwei's arrest and eventual release. I felt it was important to point out that the Chinese have been using contemporary art and architecture for years [http://www.brooklynrail.org/2008/09/artseen/is-contemporary-architecture-a-pr-pa
Art
Dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has been released, as has his cousin Zhang Jinsong, but that doesn't mean the story is over. Ai's legal case is still open, China is still detaining and jailing dissidents and the Ai's freedom may just be political image clean-up for the government. What does the r
News
Around 5 hours ago, the news broke that Ai Weiwei's cousin and driver Zhang Jingson was to be released on bail, as the artist was yesterday. Zhang is now home and has lost 19 kg; Ai associate Duyan Pili notes that he'll have to lose his nickname of “Little Fatty.”
![Who Are Ai Weiwei's 4 Associates Still in Jail? [UPDATE]](/content/images/size/w600/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2011/06/ai-associates-291.jpg)
Art
Ai Weiwei may have just been freed, but four of his associates are still missing. Wen Tao, Liu Zhenggang, Zhang Jingsong, and Hu Mingfen were arrested along with Ai Weiwei and are presumably still in prison. Here is some information about them.