May 28, 2013

A sad moment in a mother's life

The Chinese government wouldn't let Ai Weiwei travel to Venice to see his show -- so his mother went instead.

This is the show that depicts the horrors he experienced while enduring 81 days of Chinese captivity. His mother viewed the artwork quietly. Her visit was chronicled in the above-linked article. Here's an excerpt.
Weiwei's elderly mother, Gao Yng, on Tuesday viewed for the first time a series of dioramas depicting six episodes of pressure during her son's 81 days in detention in 2011. Gao walked quietly through the exhibit, peering through openings in the 1.5-meter (4.5-foot) high boxes. Inside them, Weiwei constructed in great detail scenes of his captivity.
His mother did not speak to journalists who documented the moment, but she was moved to tears as she left the exhibit in the church of Sant'Antonin.
A mother viewing the torture of her son. The Chinese government did itself no favors by enabling this poignant moment. It will live forever in the minds of decent people.

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