Chinese Dissident Ai Weiwei Pushes Boundaries at Venice Biennale Updated 11 June 2013, 15:24 AEST Slug: Venice Ai Wei

Wei sho !epo"te": #ate A"nott !adio Aust"alia $%T!& T o 'ea"s ago ( at the ti)e o* a )a+o" o"ld conte)po"a"' a"t sho in Venice ( a"tist and acti,ist, Ai Wei ei as -eing held in solita"' con*ine)ent in a sec"et location in .hina/ The Venice 0iennale has co)e a"ound again and Ai Wei ei1s detention and his "ep"esentation o* it has -eco)e a -ig d"a ca"d in the $talian cit'/ The a"tist couldn1t -e the"e in pe"son to un,eil his ne go,e"n)ent on1t let hi) t"a,el o,e"seas/ #ate A"nott *"o) !adio Aust"alia "epo"ts/ TE3T $n the 0a"o4ue su""oundings o* St Antonin .hu"ch in Venice sit si5 la"ge )etal -o5es/ $nside each one, a"e sculptu"es depicting Ai Wei ei1s detention, t o 'ea"s ago/ Visito"s a"e encou"aged to pee" inside the -o5es to get an unde"standing o* the conditions o* the a"tist1s inca"ce"ation/ .u"ato", 6au"i7io 0o"tolotti sa's t o gua"ds e"e p"esent at all ti)es, as Ai Wei ei slept, ate, sho e"ed and sat on the toilet/ 0&!T&8&TT$ .8$9 1 :6ale, English;: <We as a spectato" e a"e atching as he as atched so he can do a "e,e"se p"esentation o* this 2ind o* pla' on atching/ The atching as o* cou"se a condition that as ,e"' st"ess*ul *o" hi)/= The installations a"e pa"t o* a solo sho -' Ai Wei ei at the Venice 0iennale, one o* the )ost i)po"tant conte)po"a"' a"t e5hi-itions in the o"ld/ Ai Wei Wei as one o* do7ens o* people a""ested in a c"ac2do n on dissidents in 0ei+ing in 2011/ >e as "eleased a*te" ?1 da's -ut 6" 0o"tolotti sa' the .hinese go,e"n)ent still "est"icts his )o,e)ents/ 0&!T&8&TT$ .8$9 2 :6ale, English;: <>e had no pe")ission to t"a,el a-"oad, he has no passpo"t at the )o)ent ( so he can1t lea,e the count"' ( -ut his o"2 can t"a,el in the sense that he can do sho s a"ound the o"ld/= Susanne @aenshei)e" is the cu"ato" o* the @e")an pa,ilion in Venice/ She1s also the Ai"ecto" o* the 6useu) o* 6ode"n A"t in B"an2*u"t/ o"2s, -ecause the .hinese

@AE%S>E$6E! .8$9 1 :Be)ale, English;: <$t1s ,e"' i)po"tant that he can -e p"esent th"ough his o"2 he"e in Venice, as this is still p"o-a-l' the )ost i)po"tant *o"u) *o" conte)po"a"' a"t/= This 'ea" she in,ited *ou" inte"national a"tists to sho case thei" pieces a-out glo-ali7ation in the pa,ilion/ The'1,e all o"2ed in @e")an' on(and(o** *o" )an' 'ea"s, in close coope"ation ith the count"'1s a"t institutions/ Ai Wei ei is one o* the)/ @AE%S>E$6E! .8$9 2 :Be)ale, English;: <>e has a ,e"' st"ong "elationship to @e")an' he sa's that @e")an' *o" his a"tistic ca"ee" has -een the )ost i)po"tant count"' and $ thin2 this sho s that @e")an' toda' is a count"' hich has a ,e"' di,e"se, ,e"' inte"(cultu"al a"ts scene/= SB3 Ai Wei ei1s o"2 titled 10ang1 is an i)p"essi,e sight in the @e")an pa,ilion and *ills an enti"e "oo)/ $t1s a co)ple5 to e" o* ??C ooden stools used to c"eate hat he desc"i-es as a D)onste" li2e st"uctu"eD hich, Susan @aensheine" sa's po"t"a's a o"ld that1s de,eloping *aste" than it can 2eep up ith/ @AE%S>E$6E! .8$9 3 :Be)ale, English;: <$1,e -een se,e"al ti)es to 0ei+ing and e o"2ed on this p"o+ect togethe" then he de,eloped it in 0ei+ing and he shipped it he"e and the people ho c"eated the installation togethe" ith hi) in 0ei+ing, the' installed it he"e in the pa,ilion, so it as "athe" eas'/= A a' *"o) the @e")an pa,ilion, nea" a 1Cth centu"' con,ent, is the "est o* Ai Wei ei1s solo sho / A piece titled DSt"aightD is )ade up o* hund"eds o* "ein*o"ced steel -a"s "eco,e"ed *"o) Sichuan ea"th4ua2e sites in 200?/ .u"ato" 6aui7io 0o"tolotti sa's Ai Wei ei and his tea) st"aightened the -a"s in an atte)pt to c"iticise ho co""uption in .hina led to poo" const"uction, hich cont"i-uted to loss o* li*e/ 0&!T&8&TT$ .8$9 3 :6ale, English;: <$n a ce"tain a' he ould li2e to )a2e st"aight a s')-ol o* hat1s "ong o" )a2e "ight again, so it1s 2ind o* a s')-olic gestu"e/= 0ecause Ai Wei ei uses his o"2 to )a2e such pe"sonal and political state)ents, a"t c"itic John 6cAonald sa's he1s a pola"ising *igu"e in the a"t o"ld/ 6.A&%A8A .8$9 1 :6ale, English;: <Ai Wei Wei is genuinel' pla'ing ith *i"e ith the stu** that he1s doing/ >e1s, $ thin2 ta2ing a ga)-le that i* he )a2es hi)sel* so p"o)inent and gets such t"action o,e"seas, it ill so)eho p"otect hi) in .hina/= 0ut othe" c"itics, li2e Ti) 6a"lo a"e less i)p"essed/

6A!8&W .8$9 1 :6ale, English;: <$1) not di)inishing that that e5pe"ience he ent th"ough it )ust ha,e -een ho""endous -ut the"e1s a 2ind o* sel* )a"t'"do) in those pieces and the' e"e )ade in )ainland .hina as *a" as $ can asce"tain the' e"e shipped p"esu)a-l' ith the *"ee 2no ledge o* the go,e"n)ent so it doesn1t 4uite "ing t"ue that he1s co)pletel' "ep"essed no /= E,en though .hinese o**icials a"e still holding his passpo"t, Ai Wei ei has )o"e *"eedo) than he did last 'ea"/ 9olice su",eillance has -een loosened and as Susanne @aenshei)e" *"o) the 6useu) o* 6ode"n A"t in B"an2*u"t points out, he1s -een a-le to go a-out his "ecent o"2 ith little inte"*e"ence/ @AE%S>E$6E! .8$9 4 :Be)ale, English;: <The .hinese @o,e"n)ent sa's to hi) that the' "eall' suppo"t hi) as an a"tist the' li2e that he is e5hi-iting o"2 as an a"tist/ !ecentl' he had opened a ,e"' la"ge e5hi-ition in Washington/ So the' do suppo"t hi) as an a"tist -ut hat the' a"e a*"aid o* is his political acti,ities and )a'-e the' don1t unde"stand that in the case o* Ai Wei Wei this co)es 4uite close togethe"/=