Yesterday, hundreds of people gathered by the Chinese Consulate on the West Side Highway to protest the arrest and detainment of artist Ai Weiwei as part of a worldwide protest against China. The protesters reenacted Ai's Fairytale: 1,001 Qing Dynasty Wooden Chairs, an installation of 1,001 late Ming and Qing Dynasty wooden chairs at Documenta 12 in 2007 in Kassel, Germany. Creative Time's Anne Pasternak explained, "The whole project started when I posted a simple question on Facebook: what can we as an arts community, about the situation with Ai Weiwei," and curator Steven Holmes suggested that everyone bring chairs to a protest.
Ai, who has been active in speaking out against the government, was arrested on April 3, and the charges against him include "economic crimes" and pornography, but Ai's mother said, "Economic crimes! They say one thing now and another later. It’s ridiculous... They must tell the family why and where they are holding my son. They have no right to keep us guessing. Where is the Constitution? Where is the law?" And one New Yorker at yesterday's protest said, "I hope this protest opens more eyes to what is really going on in China. People see China as a superpower nation, but in reality there is no rule of law."
NYC will be featuring a public installation of Ai's work next month: His Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads will be at the plaza in the south east corner of Central Park (Fifth Avenue and 60th Street).
