China artist Ai Weiwei releases protest album making fun of being detained by police
BEIJING, China – He is no musician, but the Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei is resorting to music to convey his criticism and mockery of China’s authoritarian state.
On the second anniversary of his 81-day secret detention, Ai is releasing his first music album “The Divine Comedy,” which includes the single “Dumbass” that is meant to reconstruct the detention.
The album also has five other songs where Ai documents his experiences with the police.
Ai has irked Beijing by using his art and online profile to draw attention to injustices in China and the need for greater transparency and rule of law. He was detained in 2011 as part of an overall crackdown on dissent. His subsequent conviction of tax evasion has been seen as punishment for his activism.
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