58-506: Bear Sanctuary Belitsa (formerly "Dancing Bears Park Belitsa") is a project run by Four Paws and the Brigitte Bardot Foundation , near the town of Belitsa in southwest Bulgaria, which provides mistreated and neglected brown bears with a home. Established in 2000, the park provides a home for brown bears that were held captive in inadequate conditions, especially those traditionally raised and trained to dance in public. At
116-470: A "deviant and a plagiarist" in early 2011. Michael Sheridan of The Australian suggested that Ai had offered himself to the authorities on a platter with some of his provocative art, particularly photographs of himself nude with only a toy alpaca hiding his modesty – with a caption『草泥马挡中央』 (" grass mud horse covering the middle"). The term possesses a double meaning in Chinese: one possible interpretation
174-461: A Chinese poet in exile drafted and also signed the open letter. On 16 May 2011, the Chinese authorities allowed Ai's wife to visit him briefly. Liu Xiaoyuan, his attorney and personal friend, reported that Wei was in good physical condition and receiving treatment for his chronic diabetes and hypertension ; he was not in a prison or hospital but under some form of house arrest. He is the subject of
232-705: A base in Cambridge, where his son attends school, and a studio in Berlin. Ai says he will stay in Portugal long-term "unless something happens". Ai sits on the Board of Advisors for the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong (CFHK). Ai is married to artist Lu Qing . He has a son, Ai Lao, born 2009 with Wang Fen. Ai is fond of cats. In 2005, Ai was invited to start blogging by Sina Weibo ,
290-541: A company Ai controlled, had allegedly evaded taxes and intentionally destroyed accounting documents. State media also reports that Ai was granted bail on account of Ai's "good attitude in confessing his crimes", willingness to pay back taxes, and his chronic illnesses. According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, he was prohibited from leaving Beijing without permission for one year. Ai's supporters widely viewed his detention as retaliation for his vocal criticism of
348-797: A new home in South Africa. It was the organization's first rescue in South America. On 16 April 2020, claims by Four Paws in The Independent stated there had been a surge in consumption of dog and cat meat in Vietnam as a result of fake news suggesting it would cure COVID-19 . Four Paws' head of stray animal care in Asia, Katherine Polak, was quoted as saying she strongly suspected doctors were now recommending cat and dog meat to treat COVID-19. However, on 24 April 2020, fact-checking nonprofit PolitiFact rated
406-687: A retrospective exhibition in Beijing in 2007: Origin Point (Today Art Museum, Beijing). From 1981 to 1993, he lived in the United States. He was among the first generation of students to study abroad following China's reform in 1980, being one of the 161 students to take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) in 1981. For the first few years, Ai lived in Philadelphia and San Francisco. He studied English at
464-466: A top tier professional blackjack player according to an article published on blackjackchamp.com. In 1993, Ai returned to China after his father became ill. He helped establish the experimental artists' Beijing East Village and co-published a series of three books about this new generation of artists with Chinese curator Feng Boyi: Black Cover Book (1994), White Cover Book (1995), and Gray Cover Book (1997). In 1999, Ai moved to Caochangdi , in
522-704: A zoo in Khartoum , Sudan, after worldwide outrage following concerning reports of the animals' condition. On 4 September 2020, the organisation, together with veterinarians Amir Khalil and Frank Goeritz from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research examined and approved "the world's loneliest elephant", Kaavan , for travel from the Islamabad Zoo in Pakistan to an elephant sanctuary in Cambodia. The relocation to
580-515: Is a Chinese contemporary artist , documentarian , and activist. Ai grew up in the far northwest of China, where he lived under harsh conditions due to his father's exile . As an activist, he has been openly critical of the Chinese Government 's stance on democracy and human rights. He investigated government corruption and cover-ups, in particular the Sichuan schools corruption scandal following
638-604: Is often, which makes me realize that jasmine is what scares them the most. What a jasmine!" Analysts and other activists said Ai had been widely thought to be untouchable, but Nicholas Bequelin from Human Rights Watch suggested that his arrest was calculated to send a message that no one is immune and that the arrest must have had the approval of someone in the top leadership. International governments, human rights groups and art institutions, among others, called for Ai's release, while Chinese officials did not notify Ai's family of his whereabouts. State media started describing Ai as
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#1732851869539696-845: Is to inform the general public about animal welfare. The organisation also supports a ban on farming animals for fur, strict limitations on keeping wild animals in private captivity, and a ban on wild animals in circuses. Four Paws projects include the following: Ai Weiwei Hong Kong (pro-democracy) Hong Kong (centrist) Hong Kong (pro-ROC) Hong Kong (localist) Macau Republic of China (Taiwan) (groups of pro-Chinese identity) Hong Kong (pro-democracy) Hong Kong (pro-ROC) Hong Kong (localist) Republic of China (Taiwan) (groups of pro-Chinese identity) Current Former Ai Weiwei ( / ˈ aɪ w eɪ ˈ w eɪ / EYE way- WAY ; Chinese : 艾未未 ; pinyin : Ài Wèiwèi , IPA: [âɪ wêɪ.wêɪ] ; born 28 August 1957)
754-438: The 2010 Nobel Peace Prize to fellow dissident Liu Xiaobo . Ai said that he was never invited to the ceremony and was attempting to travel to South Korea where he had an important meeting when he was told that he could not leave for reasons of national security. On 11 January 2011, Ai's studio was knocked down and destroyed in a surprise move by the government, who had previously told him the studio would be destroyed only after
812-462: The Beijing Film Academy and studied animation. In 1978, he was one of the founders of the early avant garde art group the " Stars ", together with Ma Desheng , Wang Keping , Mao Lizi , Huang Rui , Li Shuang , Ah Cheng and Qu Leilei . The group disbanded in 1983, yet Ai participated in regular Stars group shows, The Stars: Ten Years, 1989 (Hanart Gallery, Hong Kong and Taipei), and
870-802: The Federal Animal Welfare Act came into force in Austria and banned both fur farming and the use of wild animals in circuses. In 2008, the Lionsrock big cat sanctuary opened in Bethlehem, South Africa . Helmut Dungler was awarded the Silver Order of Merit for Services Rendered to the Republic of Austria. In 2010, Four Paws started a collaboration with the Princess Alia Foundation of Jordan, with
928-564: The International Council of Museums , which organised petitions, said they had collected more than 90,000 signatures calling for the release of Ai. On 13 April 2011, a group of European intellectuals led by Václav Havel had issued an open letter to Wen Jiabao , condemning the arrest and demanding the immediate release of Ai. The signatories include Ivan Klíma , Jiří Gruša , Jáchym Topol , Elfriede Jelinek , Adam Michnik , Adam Zagajewski , Helmuth Frauendorfer; Bei Ling (Chinese:贝岭),
986-494: The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego organized a 24-hour silent protest in which volunteer participants, including community members, media, and museum staff, occupied two traditionally styled Chinese chairs for one-hour periods. The 24-hour sit-in referenced Ai's sculpture series Marble Chair , two of which were on view and were subsequently acquired for the museum's permanent collection. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and
1044-690: The United Kingdom . Ai's father was the Chinese poet Ai Qing , who was denounced during the Anti-Rightist Movement . In 1958, the family was sent to a labour camp in Beidahuang, Heilongjiang , when Ai was one year old. They were subsequently exiled to Shihezi , Xinjiang in 1961, where they lived for 16 years. Upon Mao Zedong 's death and the end of the Cultural Revolution , the family returned to Beijing in 1976. In 1978, Ai enrolled in
1102-623: The University of Pennsylvania and the Berkeley Adult School . Later, he moved to New York City. He studied briefly at Parsons School of Design . Ai attended the Art Students League of New York from 1983 to 1986, where he studied with Bruce Dorfman, Knox Martin and Richard Pousette-Dart . He later dropped out of school and made a living out of drawing street portraits and working odd jobs. During this period, he gained exposure to
1160-663: The 2012 documentary film Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry , directed by American filmmaker Alison Klayman, which received a special jury prize at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and opened the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival , North America's largest documentary festival, in Toronto on 26 April 2012. On 22 June 2011, the Chinese authorities released Ai from jail after almost three months' detention on charges of tax evasion. Beijing Fa Ke Cultural Development Ltd. ( Chinese : 北京发课文化公司 ),
1218-472: The 8.0-magnitude earthquake in Sichuan province on 12 May 2008, Ai led a team to survey and film the post-quake conditions in various disaster zones. In response to the government's lack of transparency in revealing names of students who perished in the earthquake due to substandard school campus constructions, Ai recruited volunteers online and launched a "Citizens' Investigation" to compile names and information of
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#17328518695391276-627: The Al Ma'wa for Nature and Wildlife project. In 2012, an EU -wide ban on conventional battery cages for hens came into force. In 2014, the Bear Sanctuary Prishtina in Kosovo was opened. In 2015, Four Paws initiated a campaign against canned lion hunting , which attracted 281,000 supporters. In 2018, the organisation rescued lions and bears from "Europe's worst zoo", in Tirana , Albania. The same year,
1334-524: The Beijing Chaoyang district tax bureau, where she was interrogated about his studio's tax on 12 April. South China Morning Post reports that Ai received at least two visits from the police, the last being on 31 March—three days before his detention—apparently with offers of membership to the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference . A staff member recalled that Ai had mentioned receiving
1392-696: The Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary, at the end of November 2020, was supported by singer Cher 's NGO Free the Wild and by businessman Eric Margolis . In January 2021, Four Paws published the Austrian edition of the Meat Atlas , in cooperation with the Heinrich Böll Foundation and the environmental protection organization Global 2000 . In March 2022, four tigers were rescued from Argentina to find
1450-509: The Chinese regime was hellish (Chinese: 九死一生), and stressed that he is forbidden to say too much to reporters. After his release, his sister gave some details about his detention condition to the press, explaining that he was subjected to a kind of psychological torture: he was detained in a tiny room with constant light, and two guards were set very close to him at all times, and watched him constantly. In November, Chinese authorities were again investigating Ai and his associates, this time under
1508-431: The account @aiww. As of 31 December 2013, Ai has declared that he would stop tweeting but the account remains active in forms of retweets and Instagram posts. In 2013, Dale Eisinger of Complex ranked Ai's blog as the fourth greatest work of performance art ever, with the writer arguing, "Much in the way early performance artists documented with film and video, Ai used the prevalent medium of his time—the web—to examine
1566-552: The beginning of the New Year on 3 February 2011. On 3 April 2011, Ai was arrested at Beijing Capital International Airport just before catching a flight to Hong Kong and his studio facilities were searched. A police contingent of approximately 50 officers came to his studio, threw a cordon around it and searched the premises. They took away laptops and the hard drive from the main computer; along with Ai, police also detained eight staff members and Ai's wife, Lu Qing. Police also visited
1624-513: The biggest internet platform in China. He posted his first blog on 19 November. For four years, he "turned out a steady stream of scathing social commentary, criticism of government policy, thoughts on art and architecture, and autobiographical writings." The blog was shut down by Sina on 28 May 2009. Ai then turned to Twitter and wrote prolifically on the platform, claiming at least eight hours online every day. He wrote almost exclusively in Chinese using
1682-582: The charge of spreading pornography. Lu was subsequently questioned by police, and released after several hours though the exact charges remain unclear. In January 2012, in its International Review issue Art in America magazine featured an interview with Ai Weiwei at his home in China. J.J. Camille (the pen name of a Chinese-born writer living in New York), "neither a journalist nor an activist but simply an art lover who wanted to talk to him" had travelled to Beijing
1740-455: The claim as false. Reporter Tina Nguyen called it mind-boggling and a nasty racist attack. In May 2020, Four Paws responded with an official statement defending their claims. The organisation is positioned as "a strong, global, and independent voice for animals under direct human control" by offering sustainable solutions for animals in need, changing consumer behaviour , driving legal change, and building partnerships. The purpose of Four Paws
1798-633: The collapse of " tofu-dreg schools " in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake . In April 2011, Ai Weiwei was arrested at Beijing Capital International Airport for "economic crimes," and detained for 81 days without charge. Ai Weiwei emerged as a vital instigator in Chinese cultural development, an architect of Chinese modernism, and one of the nation's most vocal political commentators. Ai Weiwei encapsulates political conviction and poetry in his many sculptures, photographs, and public works. Since being allowed to leave China in 2015, he has lived in Portugal , Germany , and
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1856-506: The collected names as well as numerous articles documenting the investigation on his blog which was shut down by Chinese authorities in May 2009. He also posted his list of names of schoolchildren who died on the wall of his office at FAKE Design in Beijing. Ai suffered headaches and claimed he had difficulty concentrating on his work since returning from Chengdu in August 2009, where he was beaten by
1914-477: The condition suffered by the formerly captive animals and raise awareness about their natural needs as well as their conservation. Four Paws Four Paws (stylized FOUR PAWS ) is a global animal welfare organisation based in Vienna , Austria. It focuses on improving the living conditions of animals under direct human influence, by revealing suffering, rescuing animals in need, and protecting them. Four Paws
1972-450: The country, two accounts used by him had been hacked in a sophisticated attack on Google in China dubbed Operation Aurora , their contents read and copied; his bank accounts were investigated by state security agents who claimed he was under investigation for "unspecified suspected crimes". Ai was placed under house arrest in November 2010 by the Chinese police. He said this was to prevent
2030-476: The end of the term, the gathering took place without Ai. All of his fans had a river crab , an allusion to "harmony", and a euphemism used to jeer official censorship. Ai was eventually released from house arrest the next day. Like other activists and intellectuals, Ai was stopped from leaving China in late 2010. Ai suggested that the higher ups wanted to stop him from attending a ceremony in December 2010 to award
2088-587: The first International Animal Welfare Summit was organised by Four Paws in Vienna, with famous guests that included Chinese artist Ai Weiwei . On 17 January 2018, Switzerland took a step against anonymous pet trafficking on the internet. From 1 March 2018, online traders have had to provide their full name and address as well as the country of origin and breeding of the dogs offered for sale. On 5 January 2020, Four Paws founder and president, Helmut Dungler, died unexpectedly. In January 2020, Four Paws rescued sick lions at
2146-444: The government. On 23 June 2011, professor Wang Yujin of China University of Political Science and Law stated that the release of Ai on bail shows that the Chinese government could not find any solid evidence of Ai's alleged "economic crime". On 24 June 2011, Ai told a Radio Free Asia reporter that he was thankful for the support of the Hong Kong public, and praised Hong Kong's conscious society. Ai also mentioned that his detention by
2204-414: The increasingly fine line between public life and the artist's work. Ai here used his presence to create something full and tangible rather than just a symbolic representation of his critique." In 2023, he created a mobile app to which gives users a picture of Ai's own middle finger which they can insert over another image of any place on earth (from google earth) which they disapprove of. Ten days after
2262-413: The mother of Ai's two-year-old son. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on 7 April that Ai was arrested under investigation for alleged economic crimes. Then, on 8 April, police returned to Ai's workshop to examine his financial affairs. Ai's assistant Wen Tao, studio partner Liu Zhenggang and driver Zhang Jingsong were also detained following Ai's arrest. Ai's wife said that she was summoned by
2320-627: The newly completed studio would be knocked down because it was illegal and did not meet the needs. Ai criticized that this was biased, stating that he was "the only one singled out to have my studio destroyed". The Guardian reported Ai saying Shanghai municipal authorities were "upset " by documentaries on subjects they considered delicate—in particular a documentary featuring Shanghai resident Feng Zhenghu , who lived in forced separation for three months in Narita Airport, Tokyo, and one focused on Yang Jia , who murdered six Shanghai police officers. At
2378-528: The northeast of Beijing, and built a studio house—his first architectural project. Due to his interest in architecture, he founded the architecture studio FAKE Design, in 2003. In 2000, he co-curated the art exhibition Fuck Off with curator Feng Boyi in Shanghai, China. In 2011, Ai was arrested in China on charges of tax evasion, jailed for 81 days, and then released. The government had confiscated his passport and refused him any other travel papers. Following
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2436-493: The offer earlier, "[but Ai] didn't say if it was a membership of the CPPCC at the municipal or national level, how he responded or whether he accepted it or not." On 24 February, amid an online campaign for Middle East-style protests in major Chinese cities by overseas dissidents, Ai posted on his Twitter account: "I didn't care about jasmine at first, but people who are scared by jasmine sent out information about how harmful jasmine
2494-523: The organisation opened the first sanctuary for bears in Arbesbach , Austria. In 1999, the foundation brought about the closure of Austria's largest battery cage egg producer. In 2000, Bear Sanctuary Belitsa opened in Bulgaria, and the first three former dancing bears moved in. In 2002, animal welfare entered Germany's basic law , and Federal Minister Renate Künast thanked Four Paws by name. In 2005,
2552-497: The outset, the park housed more than twenty bears from Bulgaria and Serbia. The animal welfare organisation Four Paws took measures against the inhumane practice, and in cooperation with the Brigitte Bardot Foundation , established the sanctuary. As there are no more "dancing bears" to rescue, the name was changed to Bear Sanctuary Belitsa in May 2022. The park is located in Rila , about 180 kilometres south of Sofia , 12 kilometres from
2610-435: The park. In January 2019, there were 25 bears living at the sanctuary. The first three rescues, Kalina, Mariana, and Stefan, were transferred to the park in 2000. In 2007, the last three dancing bears of Bulgaria were transferred, and in 2009, the final three from Serbia were also accommodated at the sanctuary. Bear Sanctuary Belitsa is open to visitors from April until November every year. Guided tours provide information about
2668-401: The planned party marking the demolition of his brand new Shanghai studio. The building was designed by Ai himself with assistance, and potency coming from a "high official [from Shanghai]" the new studio was a part of a new traditionally design by Shanghai Municipal jurisdiction. He was going to use it as a studio and mentor different architecture courses. After Ai was charged with constructing
2726-557: The police for trying to testify for Tan Zuoren , a fellow investigator of the shoddy construction and student casualties in the earthquake. On 14 September 2009, Ai was diagnosed to be suffering internal bleeding in a hospital in Munich, Germany, and the doctor arranged for emergency brain surgery. The cerebral hemorrhage is believed to be linked to the police attack. According to the Financial Times , in an attempt to force Ai to leave
2784-566: The previous September to conduct the interview and to write about his visit to "China's most famous dissident artist" for the magazine. On 21 June 2012, Ai's bail was lifted. Although he was allowed to leave Beijing, the police informed him that he was still prohibited from traveling to other countries because he is "suspected of other crimes", including pornography, bigamy and illicit exchange of foreign currency. Until 2015, he remained under heavy surveillance and restrictions of movement, but continued to criticize through his work. In July 2015, he
2842-460: The release of Ai: "1001 Chairs for Ai Weiwei" was organized by Creative Time of New York that calls for artists to bring chairs to Chinese embassies and consulates around the world on 17 April 2011, at 1 pm local time "to sit peacefully in support of the artist's immediate release." Artists in Hong Kong, Germany and Taiwan demonstrated and called for Ai to be released. One of the major protests by U.S. museums took place on 19 and 20 May when
2900-528: The return of his passport in 2015, Ai moved to Berlin where he maintained a large studio in a former brewery. He lived in the studio and used it as the base for his international work. In 2019, he announced he would be leaving Berlin, saying that Germany is not an open culture. In September 2019, he moved to live in Cambridge , England. As of 2023, Ai lives in Montemor-o-Novo , Portugal . He still maintains
2958-427: The student victims. On 20 March 2009, he posted a blog titled "Citizens' Investigation" and wrote: "To remember the departed, to show concern for life, to take responsibility, and for the potential happiness of the survivors, we are initiating a 'Citizens' Investigation.' We will seek out the names of each departed child, and we will remember them." As of 14 April 2009, the list had accumulated 5,385 names. Ai published
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#17328518695393016-463: The studio without the required approval and the knockdown notice had been processed, Ai said officials had been anxious and the paperwork and planning process was "under government supervision". According to Ai, a few different artists were invited to create and structure new studios in this area of Shanghai because officials wanted to create a friendly environment. Ai stated on 3 November 2010 that authorities had let him know him two months earlier that
3074-415: The town Belitsa , and about 35 kilometres from Bansko . The sanctuary comprises 120,000 square metres, divided into seven open-air enclosures. It offers dense forests and hills for roaming and seclusion, ponds for swimming, and artificial dens. Since 2000, 31 former dancing bears from Bulgaria, Serbia, and Albania, four from Bulgarian zoos, and two young bears owned privately have been rescued and housed at
3132-494: The works of Marcel Duchamp , Andy Warhol , and Jasper Johns , and began creating conceptual art by altering readymade objects. Ai befriended beat poet Allen Ginsberg while living in New York, following a chance meeting at a poetry reading where Ginsberg read out several poems about China. Ginsberg had traveled to China and met with Ai's father, the noted poet Ai Qing , and consequently Ginsberg and Ai became friends. When he
3190-406: Was founded on 4 March 1988 by Helmut Dungler to protect animals from being farmed for their fur . In 1989, the first charges were brought against a number of fur farms in Austria. Furthermore, Austrian Airlines and Lauda Air stopped the transport of captured exotic birds. In 1991, Four Paws demanded the mandatory labelling of eggs and a total ban on battery cages for egg-laying hens. In 1998,
3248-409: Was given by Sheridan as: "Fuck your mother, the party central committee". Ming Pao in Hong Kong reacted strongly to the state media's character attack on Ai, saying that authorities had employed "a chain of actions outside the law, doing further damage to an already weak system of laws, and to the overall image of the country." Pro-Beijing newspaper in Hong Kong, Wen Wei Po , announced that Ai
3306-524: Was living in the East Village (from 1983 to 1993), Ai carried a camera with him all the time and would take pictures of his surroundings wherever he was. The resulting collection of photos were later selected and is now known as the New York Photographs. At the same time, Ai became fascinated by blackjack card games and frequented Atlantic City casinos. He is still regarded in gambling circles as
3364-435: Was under arrest for tax evasion, bigamy and spreading indecent images on the internet, and vilified him with multiple instances of strong rhetoric. Supporters said, "the article should be seen as a mainland media commentary attacking Ai, rather than as an accurate account of the investigation." The United States and European Union protested Ai's detention. The international arts community also mobilised petitions calling for
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