{"id":45633,"date":"2022-09-06T15:05:47","date_gmt":"2022-09-06T19:05:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rehs.com\/eng\/?p=45633"},"modified":"2022-09-06T15:05:47","modified_gmt":"2022-09-06T19:05:47","slug":"chinas-war-on-dissident-art","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rehs.com\/eng\/2022\/09\/chinas-war-on-dissident-art\/","title":{"rendered":"China&#8217;s War On Dissident Art"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_45634\" style=\"width: 290px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/rehs.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Voa_Chen_Weiming_31may10.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-45634\" class=\"wp-image-45634\" src=\"https:\/\/rehs.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Voa_Chen_Weiming_31may10-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"Chinese dissident artist Chen Weiming\" width=\"280\" height=\"158\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rehs.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Voa_Chen_Weiming_31may10-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/rehs.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Voa_Chen_Weiming_31may10-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/rehs.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Voa_Chen_Weiming_31may10-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rehs.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Voa_Chen_Weiming_31may10-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/rehs.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Voa_Chen_Weiming_31may10.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 280px) 100vw, 280px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-45634\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chinese-born sculptor Chen Weiming<\/p><\/div>\n<p style=\"color: #0e101a; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">It all sounds like something out of a spy thriller: A work by an artist exiled from his home country suddenly goes up in flames. Many brushed it off as just an accident, but the artist thinks there\u2019s something more sinister afoot. But it turns out the truth is stranger than fiction a lot of the time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>This is the story of Chen Weiming, a Chinese sculptor now living and working between New Zealand and the United States. I actually briefly mentioned Chen\u2019s work late last year when\u00a0<a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" style=\"background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; color: #4a6ee0;\" href=\"https:\/\/rehs.com\/eng\/2022\/01\/the-pillar-of-shame\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">the\u00a0<\/span><em style=\"color: #0e101a; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Pillar of Shame<\/span><\/em><\/a><em style=\"background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\">,<\/em><span style=\"background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0a statue commemorating the victims of the Tiananmen Square massacre, was removed from the University of Hong Kong campus. In 2008, Chen created a replica of the\u00a0<\/span><em style=\"background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\">Goddess of Democracy<\/em><span style=\"background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, a statue constructed by the Tiananmen Square protestors. He had it erected on the Chinese University of Hong Kong\u2019s campus until its removal last year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>One of Chen\u2019s more recent works was a large sculpture set up in the Liberty Sculpture Park in California\u2019s Mojave Desert:\u00a0<a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" style=\"background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; color: #4a6ee0;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gulftoday.ae\/-\/media\/gulf-today\/images\/articles\/culture\/2021\/6\/2\/virus2.ashx?la=en&amp;hash=73BA671B89AD9311A7225E7E7FF43E8D\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">a giant head<\/span><\/a><span style=\"background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, half of which is a skull and the other half bears the likeness of Chinese General-Secretary Xi Jinping. Large red rods protrude from the top of the head, making it appear like a coronavirus molecule. Below, on the pedestal, large red letters spell out \u201cCCP Virus\u201d, likely in reference to China\u2019s failures leading to the spread of COVID-19.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #0e101a; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Shortly after Chen unveiled the work, the sculpture caught fire and\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" style=\"background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; color: #4a6ee0;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vvdailypress.com\/story\/news\/2021\/07\/23\/artist-weiming-chens-ccp-virus-sculpture-destroyed-yermos-liberty-sculpture-park\/8079590002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">was destroyed<\/span><\/a><span style=\"background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. Soon after the incident, Chen quickly pointed fingers at the Chinese security services. While accidents happen all the time, Chen\u2019s claims were not as far-fetched as people thought. While\u00a0<\/span><em style=\"background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\">CCP Virus<\/em><span style=\"background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> was destroyed in the spring of 2021, the US Justice Department has recently charged seven people with a whole litany of crimes, some of them connected to the destruction of Chen Weiming\u2019s work.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>It all started when an IRS agent wouldn\u2019t accept a bribe. Evidence suggests that Americans Frank Liu and Matthew Ziburis worked with Chinese national Qiang Sun on behalf of China&#8217;s security services to undermine and discredit US-based dissidents critical of the People\u2019s Republic of China. The trio\u2019s plans fell apart when Liu paid a private investigator to bribe an IRS agent to obtain one target\u2019s federal tax returns. After Liu and Ziburis\u2019s arrests, evidence suggests they were likely behind <em style=\"background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\">CCP Virus<\/em><span style=\"background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u2019s destruction. Ziburis also approached Chen, posing as a wealthy patron from New York who sought to commission a sculpture. During his visits to Chen\u2019s Los Angeles studio, he installed surveillance equipment on Chen\u2019s property. The Justice Department estimates all those arrested were paid around $3 million for their services.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_45635\" style=\"width: 189px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/rehs.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/640px-Xi_Jinping_Sept._19_2012.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-45635\" class=\"wp-image-45635 \" src=\"https:\/\/rehs.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/640px-Xi_Jinping_Sept._19_2012-239x300.jpg\" alt=\"Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party\" width=\"179\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rehs.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/640px-Xi_Jinping_Sept._19_2012-239x300.jpg 239w, https:\/\/rehs.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/640px-Xi_Jinping_Sept._19_2012-109x138.jpg 109w, https:\/\/rehs.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/640px-Xi_Jinping_Sept._19_2012.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 179px) 100vw, 179px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-45635\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party<\/p><\/div>\n<p style=\"color: #0e101a; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">This is far from the first time the Chinese government has openly or secretly operated on foreign soil to disrupt the lives and livelihoods of Chinese-born dissidents. One of the most famous Chinese dissident artists today is Badiucao, who habitually gets into trouble over his work and its criticism of Beijing. Last November, local officials in the northern Italian town of Brescia defiantly went through with organizing\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" style=\"background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; color: #4a6ee0;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.artnet.com\/art-world\/italy-anti-chinese-government-badiucao-show-2034812\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">a show of Badiucao\u2019s work<\/span><\/a><span style=\"background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, despite protests from Beijing. Badiucao interpreted the Chinese embassy\u2019s requests as \u201ca direct order to the museum demanding that the show be canceled.\u201d The exhibition featured various works criticizing China\u2019s human rights record, its relationship with Hong Kong, and its handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Several of Badiucao\u2019s works also feature the image of Winnie the Pooh. The fictional bear\u2019s image is heavily regulated in China since a series of memes from several years ago\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" style=\"background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; color: #4a6ee0;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2018\/aug\/07\/china-bans-winnie-the-pooh-film-to-stop-comparisons-to-president-xi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">mocked Xi<\/span><\/a><span style=\"background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0by comparing his appearance with that of the character. Badiucao has continued to use Pooh imagery in relation to Xi, most notably in\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" style=\"background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; color: #4a6ee0;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Cgyt5OmPpqD\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">a graphic work<\/span><\/a><span style=\"background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0posted to his Instagram account regarding House Speaker Nancy Pelosi\u2019s controversial trip to Taiwan. The image depicts Pelosi and Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen posing for a photo standing on top of a Winnie the Pooh bearskin rug.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Chen Weiming has since made a second version of\u00a0<\/span><em style=\"background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\">CCP Virus<\/em><span style=\"background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, this time made from steel, so it would never meet the same fate as the original.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It all sounds like something out of a spy thriller: A work by an artist exiled from his home country suddenly goes up in flames. Many brushed it off as just an accident, but the artist thinks there\u2019s something more &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/rehs.com\/eng\/2022\/09\/chinas-war-on-dissident-art\/?contemporary=N\">More&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":45635,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,1],"tags":[657,429,367,269,120,11,9,386,32,572],"class_list":["post-45633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rehs-galleries","category-rehs-contemporary","tag-chinese-art","tag-contemporary-art","tag-crime-and-punishment","tag-legal-matters","tag-modern-art","tag-rehs-contemporary-news","tag-rehs-galleries-news","tag-tales-from-the-dark-side","tag-the-dark-side","tag-winnie-the-pooh"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v27.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>China&#039;s War On Dissident Art - Rehs Galleries<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A sculpture criticizing China&#039;s response to Covid-19 was destroyed in a fire. 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