“I have to thank the police for drawing so much attention to this issue,” activist Tangerine tells the press. “Even if I have to go to jail, I think that would be a very, very worth it price to pay.” With her signature Ai stenciled and illegally projected all over Hong Kong, Tangerine is being investigated by a serious crime squad that usually deals with rape and murder.
Instead of a standard fine and three months detention for “graffiti,” the authorities want to charge the 22-year-old artist with damages and sentence her to an unusually stiff term of 10 years. She’s willing to risk it to deliver her message:
[Ai] is one of the most prominent contemporary artists in the world right now. And if he can be arrested, then there’s no identity we can hide behind: Being a Hong Kong citizen doesn’t help anymore; being rich or social status doesn’t help. There’s no shield any more against this very naked power that’s trying to engulf us.
(Photos: The Standard)
Why the fuck would she let people photograph her if she is so wanted?
That a question you'd probably also have to ask every vandal that ever appeared in Video Graf.
Popularity probably?! Who knows
I believe it's popularity too!
You can't see her face or any defining features. But it almost sounds like she does not care as much as you or I might about getting caught. I would really feel for her if she was caught.
Dont worry she'll have a retrospective next month in some museum and sell her works for 40k each. she'll have the bail and lawyer money
that's very harsh news caught like that.
They know what she was wearing the day she did it. Pull the videos on the surrounding blocks and they may get a face. Much like they do for shootings in the city. And something tells me bail money doesn’t mean much in China. Or she elsewhere?
And yes Bucky. If Videograff was to hit me up, I’d say, “fuck you, pay me.”
Her shoes got her caught..
shes sooo hot
What she said is brilliant "Being a Hong Kong citizen doesn’t help anymore; being rich or social status doesn’t help. There’s no shield any more against this very naked power that’s trying to engulf us"
Its not going to help. The gov in China is totalitarian, based on a long tradition of crushing dissent. In a place with no room for discussion of issue and common people working together to solve problems, there is only room for the powerholders (who are rich) to crush us. This is happening not only in China, but increasingly in the west as right-wing governments slowly erode social welfare systems, and people's right to protest. Canada's Toronto 2010 G20 summit is a good example of Harper's right wing government sanctioning police brutality to scare the population into NOT protesting. Its all quite sickening. Now with a totalitarian state, China, with no history at all of democracy rising in power, we should be all the more worried. Thank god there are still people like Ai Weiwei and Tangarine around with the guts to stand up
Hi there! Thank you for that post. Brilliant just brilliant. And interesting comments.
I am actually curating a project in London for Ai Weiwei’s capture-awareness and release. It is called The Chinese Whisper Project (Chinesewhisperproject.worpress), and I am looking to do an exhibition using art as a symbol of unique interpretation and freedom of expression. Hopefully I’ll have 25 peices of art to exhibit from 5 unique artists. You’d be so welcome to come! I guess it’s about pulling together and standing for our rights. Especially in an age of social media power. I’ve put a project video ( http://www.youtube.com/ChineseWhisperProj ) plan up on the blog and on youtube too – it would be great if you could find an outlet to let readers know.
Many thanks! Keep up the good work.
p.s. i’m on twitter: ChineseTwhisper / email chineswhisperproject@gmail.com
Tangerine is a very hot graffiti artist!