MCLC: Ai Weiwei vs. Jackie Chan

[Denton, Kirk]

MCLC LIST
From: pjmooney <pjmooney at me.com>
Subject: Ai Weiwei vs. Jackie Chan
***********************************************************

This is a very interesting 13-minute mini-documentary by CBC on Ai Weiwei.
Includes footage of Jackie Chan pretending he has no idea who Ai Weiwei
is. The link is good:

http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/TV%20Shows/The%20National/ID/2404634640/

For more on the controversy between Ai Weiwei and Jackie Chan, see the
article below

Paul

==========================================================

Source: The Guardian (9/6/13):
http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2013/sep/06/ai-we
iwei-jackie-chan-criticism

Strangers in Hong Kong? Ai Weiwei's Jackie Chan rebuttal more than bluster
By Jonathan Jones - On Art Blog - The Guardian

Artist Ai Weiwei has used many means to dramatise the political
responsibilies of artists, from flipping his finger at authority to sowing
Tate Modern with fake sunflower seeds. Now, though, he is making it
personal with a public attack on Hong Kong actor Jackie Chan
<http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/nov/20/jackie-chan-interview>
.

In a recent interview, Chan – famous for his courageous stunts and comic
action movies – was asked repeatedly about Ai, whose conflicts with the
government of China and provocative artworks have made him a global
celebrity. Chan insisted he had no idea who Ai is, claiming not to
recognise the name.

The pugnacious artist is not taking that insult lightly. Publicising an
exhibition opening in Ontario on the Canadian radio programme Q this week,
he said Chan deliberately belittled him as a critic of China's political
system 
<http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2013/09/04/ai-weiwei-jackie-chan-comment
s-q-interview.html>. Ai dismissed the notion that Chan hasn't heard of
him: "He knows me very well," he told listeners. "He's very much a
pro-government actor. And he's acted so extremely on the side of
authority."

On the face of it, Ai might seem to be protesting too much. After all, it
is just possible a popular film actor might not be totally up to date with
the contemporary art scene. Yet a quick check on Chan's political
statements reveals a troubling basis for the accusation that Chan is a
proponent of authoritarian views.

The actor has called for a crackdown on protest in Hong Kong and
publically questioned the value of freedom, arguing that people need to be
controlled. While Ai speaks up for freedom, Chan has on occasion spoken
out against it – although "speaking out" against liberty is arguably a
contradiction in terms, and Chan's controversial statements are in their
way as individualistic as Ai's art.

But the actor's readiness to sing China's tune is a reminder of how lonely
and courageous Ai's stand really is. Ai's fame (if not with Chan) may make
it seem he has won a big battle; in reality, he's one man fighting an
enormous enemy.

The tendency to condone China's regime has grown with its economy, and
often takes the form of complacent relativism. From governments seeking
lucrative deals to museums borrowing art, plenty of people have found
plenty of reasons to ignore Ai's insistence on the universality of human
rights.

So his fight goes on. In his Ontario exhibition
<http://www.ago.net/aiweiwei/>, on tour from the US, he protests with art
of considerable power. Chan should take a trip to see it.