The dissident Chinese artist wades in on the migration crisis, state censorship and dropping his drawers on Instagram at the Berlin literature festival, his first public appearance since his detention
The first thing Chinese artist Ai Weiwei did as he stepped on stage last night at the Berlin Philharmonic was take a picture. Before him stood an audience of hundreds roaring with applause as a scrum of photographers snapped shutters like machine guns.
In blue cotton trousers, a button-up olive green shirt and rubber-soled shoes, Ai put his iPhone back in his shirt pocket, pleated his hands Angela Merkel-style and discussed China in a Berlin international literature festival talk alongside Chinese dissident poet Liao Yiwu, in what was called “a conversation between friends.”
When you live in a centralised regime, people feel powerless. They feel they don't have the possibility to change things
A nation can't think freely any more. Censorship means barriers are built so people can't move on; there is no hope
Continue reading...
0 comments:
Post a Comment