Censorship In China
Art Censorship in China: The Unknown Third Side
15/04/2013
English Composition
Fatima Al-Mousawi
Art Censorship in China: A Western Issue & the Chinese Opinion
“Free societies... are societies in motion… Free people strike sparks, and those sparks are the best evidence of freedom 's existence”. So are the words of Salman Rushdie on the topic of freedom of speech and its censorship (Rushdie). Those words bring attention to many of today’s societies that disallow these sparks in many of its forms. The most prominent country forbidding those sparks is China. China is a nation that is noticeably powerful in creating a spark for an economic boom. On the other hand, China’s censorship has been typically viewed in a negative light, and …show more content…
According to Barbara Pollack of ArtNews, two auction houses in China have earned an estimated $5 billion dollars. Moreover, one would be astounded that China’s participation “by hammer” went up from 5 percent in 2005, to a staggering 40 percent in 2011 (Pollack, 2012). The concept that censorship occurs in such an environment, where China is considered both a superpower and a host to art auction houses and collectors, contrariwise the current acts of censorship causes a contradictory element in how to view post-Mao China in accordance to freedom of artistic …show more content…
As an assistant professor in Virginia Commonwealth in Qatar (VCUQ), Mr. Leland Hill, acknowledges that art in all its forms are important. Moreover, he states clearly that “everybody needs expression, and censorship disallows that idea”. Yet, the consequence of expression in China is witnessed by the second point of view; a Chinese artist and activist named Ai Weiwei, who was arrested for his exhibitions and art pieces that reflected the tragic earthquake that destroyed lives in China in recent years and the censorship of the internet. These exhibitions were Ai Weiwei’s expressions, and the government disallowed and censored a factor Mr. Hill finds vital to life. Popular news outlets, such as CNN, acknowledged Ai Weiwei’s controversially artistic activism to raise remembrance of those earthquake victims. Furthermore, David Frazier states in his journal article in Art in
15/04/2013
English Composition
Fatima Al-Mousawi
Art Censorship in China: A Western Issue & the Chinese Opinion
“Free societies... are societies in motion… Free people strike sparks, and those sparks are the best evidence of freedom 's existence”. So are the words of Salman Rushdie on the topic of freedom of speech and its censorship (Rushdie). Those words bring attention to many of today’s societies that disallow these sparks in many of its forms. The most prominent country forbidding those sparks is China. China is a nation that is noticeably powerful in creating a spark for an economic boom. On the other hand, China’s censorship has been typically viewed in a negative light, and …show more content…
According to Barbara Pollack of ArtNews, two auction houses in China have earned an estimated $5 billion dollars. Moreover, one would be astounded that China’s participation “by hammer” went up from 5 percent in 2005, to a staggering 40 percent in 2011 (Pollack, 2012). The concept that censorship occurs in such an environment, where China is considered both a superpower and a host to art auction houses and collectors, contrariwise the current acts of censorship causes a contradictory element in how to view post-Mao China in accordance to freedom of artistic …show more content…
As an assistant professor in Virginia Commonwealth in Qatar (VCUQ), Mr. Leland Hill, acknowledges that art in all its forms are important. Moreover, he states clearly that “everybody needs expression, and censorship disallows that idea”. Yet, the consequence of expression in China is witnessed by the second point of view; a Chinese artist and activist named Ai Weiwei, who was arrested for his exhibitions and art pieces that reflected the tragic earthquake that destroyed lives in China in recent years and the censorship of the internet. These exhibitions were Ai Weiwei’s expressions, and the government disallowed and censored a factor Mr. Hill finds vital to life. Popular news outlets, such as CNN, acknowledged Ai Weiwei’s controversially artistic activism to raise remembrance of those earthquake victims. Furthermore, David Frazier states in his journal article in Art in