Cultural Revolutionaries

Ai Weiwei isn't the only contemporary Chinese artist pushing the boundaries -- and making Beijing nervous.

BY JOSHUA E. KEATING | MAY 10, 2011

On June 22, the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei was released on bail after nearly three months in prison. Ai was charged with tax evasion, though supporter believe his arrest was motivated by his outspoken criticism of the Chinese government.* Ai's imprisonment shocked the international art world and highlighted the increasingly repressive tactics of the Chinese state's censorship regime, which has clamped down on even the faintest hint of protests in the wake of the democratic revolutions in the Arab world. Ai's politically confrontational work is something of an outlier in China, where most high-profile artists steer clear of explicitly political material. But he's not the only one who has pushed the boundaries with his work -- and paid the price.

*This article was updated on June 22.

Lead photo: MIKE CLARKE/AFP/Getty Images

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Joshua E. Keating is an associate editor at Foreign Policy.

HOWARDXUE

10:55 PM ET

May 11, 2011

Ai Weiwei's contraversial art

Very few western audiance know anything about the most contraversial pieces of art of Ai Weiwei, such as "F**k the motherland", "One dick and eight boobs", and "Middle finger photo".

Self-censorship of these art pieces from all the western media makes it hard for ordinary people from western countries to understand the context of the contraversy in China.

 

ELFEN69

1:21 AM ET

May 19, 2011

I would really love to

I would really love to understand this context as you said, can anybody share some more links to useful webpages that deal with this topic? I am from western country and would love to learn more about China.

 

DANNY41

7:16 PM ET

June 9, 2011

Culture shock

An artist like Ai Weiwei is really driving the edge for a country like China. His provoking art is accepted in the west but like mentioned in the article he is really pushing the boundaries for a country like China.

Because of this contrary Weiwei is neglected in every way by the China government. They don't want the attention to let people wake up in their own way. Let's pray there will be a day the government is pushed away and China is a democracy with freedom of speech and love tarot for everyone. Art is a great way to express your feeling and some people like Ai know how to draw the attention.

 

ELLA SPINKS

2:43 PM ET

June 10, 2011

His provoking art is accepted

His provoking art is accepted in the west but like mentioned in the article he is really pushing the boundaries for a country like China.Because of this contrary Weiwei stavkove kancelarie is neglected in every way by the China government. They don't want the attention to let people wake up in their own way. Let's pray there will be a day the government is pushed away and China is a democracy with freedom of speech and love tarot for everyone.