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Post by misterwhisper on Jul 23, 2015 8:18:07 GMT
"The Royal Academy of Arts in London was quick to confirm that Ai would be traveling to the United Kingdom in September for a major exhibition of his work dating from 1993. "This is wonderful news for Ai Weiwei, his family and for artists worldwide. We are delighted to announce that he will be joining us as we finalize the installation of his exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts, London," said Artistic Director Tim Marlow. Ai is also reported to be planning to return to Germany, which last year hosted his biggest ever solo show without him. The piece of political comment, which filled 18 rooms at the Martin-Gropius-Bau museum in Berlin, featured a replica white cell where authorities held him during his time in detention." - www.cnn.com/2015/07/22/arts/china-ai-weiwei-passport-returned/ |
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Post by alexdb on Jul 23, 2015 9:20:22 GMT
Good news! Hope this was the last attempt of chinese government against freedom....wishful thinking of me!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 24, 2015 10:38:01 GMT
There is a kickstarter campaign to bring tree sculptures to the Royal Academy show. Some limited edition prints available.
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Post by IggyWiggy on Jul 30, 2015 16:55:07 GMT
Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei has been denied a UK visa because he had a “criminal conviction” - despite apparently never having been convicted of a crime. Ai posted an image of the letter from the British embassy in Beijing, which said denied him the six-month visa but said he would be “exceptionally” granted a 20-day visa for September, to his Instagram. The artist said in a separate post that he had "never been charged or convicted of a crime". He added that “representatives insisted on the accuracy of their sources and refused to admit any misjudgement". The 20-day visa means he will be able to attend his show at London's Royal Academy of Arts. Ai was detained in China for 81 days in 2011 but was never formally charged with any crime. www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/07/30/ai-weiwei-royal-academy-artist-visa-denial_n_7902284.html?utm_hp_ref=uk |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2015 17:25:11 GMT
Bureaucratic bullshit, gotta love it.
The Kickstarter is doing quite well. Hopefully this news will help the RA achieve their goal.
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Post by alexdb on Jul 30, 2015 18:11:55 GMT
He posted the letter of the British embassy on his IG.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2015 20:05:49 GMT
Embassy say he only requested 20 days visa and it was granted. I reckon it's all a bit of pr for the show.
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Post by alexdb on Jul 30, 2015 20:14:59 GMT
Embassy say he only requested 20 days visa and it was granted. I reckon it's all a bit of pr for the show. Have you read the letter of the embassy? The issue was something else |
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Post by speebe on Jul 30, 2015 20:35:50 GMT
I guess the issue is he was arrested and detained in China but (allegedly) there are were no formal charges ever made!
As a result he didn't mention any convictions on his Visa application, and it appears he contacted the embassy in advance to try and get a straight answer... therefore he's now denied a full visa but allowed the 20days which dictates that he'll miss the opening!
Shame whichever way you look at it. It does feel as though the powers that be still conspire against him.
Totally different situation, although it highlights the issue when in communication with staff at the embassy.
I was arranging travel for someone with a Criminal Damage arrest (Graffiti) and he was worried about getting into NYC, the embassy staff in the UK & US couldn't give me a definitive answer
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Post by jeezuzjonessnr on Jul 30, 2015 22:17:25 GMT
He must have paid his tax bill then..
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Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2015 23:52:10 GMT
Think you will find that he does have a criminal conviction for tax evasion in China. The court case is well documented.
The Embassy in China has to impose the same rules for everyone .
Note he was not refused because he had a criminal conviction.........he was refused for not telling the truth on the application
Think you will find he knew that and wanted the refusal as its good press.
Strikes me as a bit weird that there is a fund raising campaign for supporting a massively rich artist and he is very very rich.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2015 22:52:50 GMT
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Post by speebe on Aug 1, 2015 0:29:45 GMT
Great news... Last week, Ai Weiwei received his passport, which had been held by the Chinese authorities since he was secretly detained in 2011 over a contested tax bill. Following this, the artist announced his intention to travel to his landmark show at the Royal Academy. On Thursday, he released a letter received from the UK government in an Instagram post to his 126,000 followers. The letter explained that his entry to the UK had been restricted because of a failure to declare a “criminal conviction.” Despite his secret detention in 2011, Ai Weiwei has never been charged or convicted of a crime in China. |
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