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MANILA, Philippines - Who is this Chinese contemporary artist who was the artistic consultant for the Beijing National Stadium in the 2008 Olympics?
He was born on May 18, 1957 and is a Chinese contemporary artist, active in sculpture, installation, architecture, curating, photography, film, and social, political and cultural criticism.
He collaborated with Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron as the artistic consultant on the Beijing National Stadium for the 2008 Olympics. As a political activist, he had been highly and openly critical of the Chinese government’s stance on democracy and human rights. He has investigated government corruption and cover-ups, in particular the Sichuan schools corruption scandal following the collapse of the so-called “tofu-skin schools” in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. In 2011, following his arrest at Beijing airport on April 3, he was held for over two months without any official charges being filed; officials alluded to their allegations of “economic crimes” (tax evasion). In October 2011, ArtReview magazine named him number one in their annual Power 100 list. The decision was criticized by the Chinese authorities. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin responded, “China has many artists who have sufficient ability. We feel that a selection that is based purely on a political bias and perspective has violated the objectives of the magazine.”
In 2006, he and HHF Architects designed a private rsidence in upstate New York for collectors Christopher Tsai and André Stockamp. According to the New York Times, the Tsai Residence is divided into four modules and the details are “extraordinarily refined.” In 2010, Wallpaper magazine nominated the Tsai Residence for its Wallpaper Design Awards category: Best New Private House.
He was commissioned as the artistic consultant for design, collaborating with the Swiss firm Herzog & de Meuron, for the Beijing National Stadium for the 2008 Summer Olympics, also known as the “Bird’s Nest.” Although ignored by the Chinese media, he had voiced his anti-Olympics views. He later distanced himself from the project, saying, “I’ve already forgotten about it. I turn down all the demands to have photographs with it,” saying it is part of a “pretend smile” of bad taste. In August 2007 he also accused those choreographing the Olympic opening ceremony, including Steven Spielberg and Zhang Yimou, of failing to live up to their responsibility as artists. He said, “It’s disgusting. I don’t like anyone who shamelessly abuses their profession, who makes no moral judgment.”
In Feb. 2008, Spielberg withdrew from his role as advisor to the 2008 Summer Olympics. When asked why he participated in the designing of the Bird’s Nest in the first place, he replied, “I did it because I love design.”
Like other activists and intellectuals, he was prevented from leaving China in late 2010. He suggested that the authorities wanted to prevent him from attending the ceremony in December 2010 to award the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize to fellow dissident Liu Xiaobo. He said that he had not been invited to the ceremony, and was attempting to travel to South Korea for a meeting when he was told that he could not leave for reasons of national security.
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Last week’s question:
Who is the prize-winning Portuguese architect who is considered the greatest living architect of his country?
Answer: Alvaro Siza
Winner: Maria Leonora V. del Pilar, Makati City
