Chinese artist Ai Weiwei's fight for justice and freedom of expression

Just a couple of days before his ‘disappearance’, China’s most controversial artist in the recent times, Ai Weiwei, spoke out to German broadcaster ARD about surveillance and harassment from police at his Beijing studio. He protested the fact that ‘people with different voices and minds are being put into prison.’

Describing the intense scrutiny from the authorities, he revealed: "There are two cameras at the main entrance, my telephone is tapped. Every message that I post on my microblog gets censored. Over a dozen policemen visited my place. In my opinion, it’s purely nuisance!" This was his last public interview before being stopped by officials at the city airport.

He proclaimed: "The country in many ways is almost like the middle ages. The control over the flow of information is like the time before the Enlightenment. Writers, commentators and artists are detained when they reflect on democracy, reform and reason. This is the (harsh) reality of China.

Ai is among the most prominent victims of the country’s crackdown on dissent after being detained earlier in April. Western powers and artists’ groups have demanded his release, but his whereabouts is still not known. The outspoken artist deplored the lack of freedom of expression, stating every bit of news is controlled by the Ministry of propaganda.

“The only thing I can do is go on the Internet. But my name is a sensitive word on the Web in China. It cannot be shown on Chinese sites. Unless I am left with absolutely no other choice, I won’t leave since I belong here.." he vowed, insisting that he wanted to stay on. He depicted his role as a dissident who has leveraged the power of web, especially Twitter, to communicate and engage with China’s young people.

Ai Weiwei's ‘Sunflower Seeds’, the Turbine Hall installation at Gallery Tate Modern, is on until May 2. The building has turned into the site for demonstrations in support of the artist. Major international exhibitions of his work are due to open at Lisson Gallery and Somerset House in May.