Ai Weiwei drops his copy of government document informing him of the end of his one-year jail term. Photo credit: Ed Jones/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images. Source: The New York Times
The year-long probation of popular Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei ended yesterday, June 21, 2012 following his release from detention overseen by the Beijing police last June. The artist is allowed to leave the capital but not the country pending further police investigations. Many fans believe Ai Weiwei was in truth imprisoned for his staunch and vocal criticism of Chinese politics, a message often conveyed in his subversive art.
Ai Weiwei, Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn, 1995, Triptych, b/w-prints, © FAKE Studio. Source: arttattler.com
Ai Weiwei Grapes 31" by 54" by 63" tieli wood (nine Qing Dynasty stools) 2007. Photo Source: Mary Boone Gallery
Ai Weiwei, Map of China, 2004, Tieli wood from dismantled temples of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), h. 51cm, 200cm, © FAKE Studio. Source: arttattler.com
Ai Weiwei Descending Light 156" by 180" by 268" glass crystals/stainless brass, electric lights 2007. Photo Source: Mary Boone Gallery
