Please see the attached for the question
3
THE ORIGINS OF SLAVERY IN AMERICA
"Political Protest Art and Ai Wei Wei"
Ai Weiwei
Ai Weiwei is a Chinese contemporary artist and activist. 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 the collapse of "tofu-dreg schools" in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.
He infuses his sculptures, photographs, and public artworks with political conviction and personal poetry, often making use of recognizable and historic Chinese art forms in critical examinations of a host of contemporary Chinese political and social issues. In his sculptural works he often uses reclaimed materials—ancient pottery and wood from destroyed temples—in a conceptual gesture that connects tradition with contemporary social concerns. He also employs sarcasm, juxtaposition, and repetition to reinvigorate the potency and symbolism of traditional images and to reframe the familiar with minimal means. A writer and curator, Ai extends his practice across multiple disciplines and through social media to communicate with a global public and to engage fellow artists with projects on a massive scale.
The following website is the home of the documentary Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry.
http://www.aiweiweineversorry.com
You will have to spend money to see this documentary. You can rent it from Amazon Prime or YouTube for $2.99 or Amazon for $3.99. I know its money, but its worth the price! You can try finding the documentary online somewhere, but I can't promise the quality will be good or that there will be subtitles for some of the scenes.
After watching the documentary, you will do the following activity:
Your task is to write a two page essay about what you learned from the video. The essay MUST be double-spaced, be in Times New Roman 12pt font, and must only have your name at the top! Do not put my name of the class or date. Its unnecessary information that takes up room on the page.
Use the following questions to guide your essay:
Who is Ai Weiwei?
What did you find most fascinating about his art?
What was so controversial about his photograph series in which he dropped and destroyed neolithic pottery? What was the message he was trying to get across?
What problems does Ai Weiwei have with the Chinese government?
What problems does the Chinese government have with Ai Weiwei?
In the documentary, it presents him installing his 100 million-ceramic porcelain piece at the Tate Modern. What did you learn about this work? What was he doing? Why?
Why did Ai Weiwei get arrested/detained by the Chinese government?
