For your +1. Ai Weiwei is a Chinese artist many readers know. His latest book is On Censorship. After 250 years, yes, we have it here. We also have corruption here, it's not just for "African dictators."
He is famous for many works, including an early social practice work Fairytale in 2007. Between 2008 and 2011, and continuing, he made art about deaths in the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan. About 5000 students perished because of corrupt "tofu construction" - public schools built at minimum cost for maximum profit.
The number of deaths and names were deemed a state secret. The artist's sin was going door to door to gather the names from families, almost all single children, and writing them down. The power of names in China is a cultural thing, the gravity of which is not understood in the West.
As a result, in 2011 he was disappeared for 81 days.
I am a student of democracy and have worked professionally in the field. I have studied the Chinese Democracy Movement. A great documentary is Gate of Heavenly Peace. I believe the Chinese government should have set up a student and young persons National People's Congress and started a transition to democracy in towns and cities. That would have been a great cultural learning experience and could have avoided much corruption. After a time, democracy could evolve to provinces and the central government. The fact that the central government right here is intent on ending democracy in our 250th year is very disturbing.
This weekend Ai Weiwei is reenacting the disapprearing time sampled into a 24 hour performance, Sewing a Button, in Manchester UK. Much of it is online.
Ai Weiwei and collaborators perform Sewing a Button online. Free
Oregon Contemporary closes their biennial.
Might as Well Well is a group show including new members.
At Well Well Projects www.wellwellprojects.com in the Disjecta building 8371 N. Interstate Map 5PM-8 Free
Dana Lynn Louis' Gather Make Shelter project brings Aileen McPherson, Fahd Sadiq, Fawn, Gloria Rodriguez, Mia Winters, Marzipan Lee, and Zenyatta. The project has similarities to San Francisco's Hospitality House.
At www.carnationcontemporary.com in the Disjecta building 8371 N Interstate. 5PM-8 Free
