Art has come together with activism in the shape of face masks created by Ai Weiwei (艾未未) which show images of sunflower seeds, mythical beasts and perhaps most appropriately of all, a defiant middle finger.
The Chinese artist and activist has printed an initial batch of 10,000 face masks to be sold for charity through eBay. All the takings will go to coronavirus humanitarian efforts led by Human Rights Watch , Refugees International and Medecins Sans Frontiers .
Ai was at home in Cambridge when he began getting angry about face mask news stories including the US being accused of “modern piracy,” accused of taking masks meant for Germany.
Photo: AFP
It was almost laughable, he said.
“It is such a waste. There is so much argument around the mask. A face mask weighs only three grams but it carries so much state argument about global safety and who has it and who doesn’t have it.”
He printed a wood carving on to a mask and put it on Instagram. People loved it and asked how they could get hold of one. From that came his new art project.
The art works will be sold singly for US$50, US$300 for a series of four and US$1,500 for a collection of 20. They will have images familiar to fans of the artist’s work, including sunflower seeds based on his Tate Modern installation in which he filled the gallery’s Turbine Hall with 100 million individually crafted sunflower seeds. Some of the images will include his middle finger gesture of defiance.
Ai said the pandemic was a humanitarian crisis.
“It challenges our understanding of the 21st century and warns of dangers ahead. It requires each individual to act, both alone and collectively.”
He likened each purchase to an act of hope and social awareness.
The images have been silk-screened by hand in Berlin on to non-surgical cloth face masks. Ai predicts people will buy them to collect rather than wear.
Ai spent 81 days in a Chinese jail and four years under house arrest before getting his passport back and fleeing to Germany in 2015. He moved to the UK last year.
He said people were right to feel anger towards China over the pandemic.
“When we talk about humanity the most important thing is trust, between people and between nations. Without transparency and trust you cannot play the game. China has been for a long time not trustable. We have all accepted that.”
China had intentionally covered up information about the outbreak, even destroying medical evidence, he said.
“China has been acting in the old military way: everyone who questions them can be a potential enemy.”
The project is curated by Alexandra Munroe, who said the masks were artworks which symbolized life in the time of coronavirus.
“To have one is an ethical and creative act to overcome our tired isolation and participate in a collective enterprise of real compassion.”
Ai was preparing direction of an opera, Puccini’s Turandot, when the lockdown came during rehearsals.
At home in Cambridge, where he lives with his partner and child, it was wonderful, he said.
“I have never had such a peaceful and enjoyable time in my life. I’m spending so much time with my loved ones and this spring in Cambridge will be memorable for the rest of my life because I’ve never seen so many wildflowers. Daily I walk out in the fields and take photographs and see what their Latin and Chinese name is. It is so much fun.”
Next week, candidates will officially register to run for chair of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT). By the end of Friday, we will know who has registered for the Oct. 18 election. The number of declared candidates has been fluctuating daily. Some candidates registering may be disqualified, so the final list may be in flux for weeks. The list of likely candidates ranges from deep blue to deeper blue to deepest blue, bordering on red (pro-Chinese Communist Party, CCP). Unless current Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) can be convinced to run for re-election, the party looks likely to shift towards more hardline
Last week the story of the giant illegal crater dug in Kaohsiung’s Meinong District (美濃) emerged into the public consciousness. The site was used for sand and gravel extraction, and then filled with construction waste. Locals referred to it sardonically as the “Meinong Grand Canyon,” according to media reports, because it was 2 hectares in length and 10 meters deep. The land involved included both state-owned and local farm land. Local media said that the site had generated NT$300 million in profits, against fines of a few million and the loss of some excavators. OFFICIAL CORRUPTION? The site had been seized
Sept. 15 to Sept. 21 A Bhutanese princess caught at Taoyuan Airport with 22 rhino horns — worth about NT$31 million today — might have been just another curious front-page story. But the Sept. 17, 1993 incident came at a sensitive moment. Taiwan, dubbed “Die-wan” by the British conservationist group Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), was under international fire for being a major hub for rhino horn. Just 10 days earlier, US secretary of the interior Bruce Babbitt had recommended sanctions against Taiwan for its “failure to end its participation in rhinoceros horn trade.” Even though Taiwan had restricted imports since 1985 and enacted
Enter the Dragon 13 will bring Taiwan’s first taste of Dirty Boxing Sunday at Taipei Gymnasium, one highlight of a mixed-rules card blending new formats with traditional MMA. The undercard starts at 10:30am, with the main card beginning at 4pm. Tickets are NT$1,200. Dirty Boxing is a US-born ruleset popularized by fighters Mike Perry and Jon Jones as an alternative to boxing. The format has gained traction overseas, with its inaugural championship streamed free to millions on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. Taiwan’s version allows punches and elbows with clinch striking, but bans kicks, knees and takedowns. The rules are stricter than the
RSS