An Essay Devoid of a Title, About a Country that Turned its Back on its Children
Andrzej Pitrus
andrzej@pitrus.com.plJagiellonian University (Poland)
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5381-3377
Abstract
The earthquake in Szechuan (2008) was not only a natural disaster, but also a “stain on the honour” of the Chinese government, which desired to change the image of the country. China – on the eve of the Olympic Games in Beijing – was to be a modern country, open to the world and dynamic, with a free market economy. The author of the article addresses the problem of the ideological entanglement of the disaster discourse that hit one of the poorest provinces in China. He is interested in the diverse reactions of artists – both those that are definitely critical and those that are openly part of the propaganda. The most famous artist who reacted to the crisis in Szechuan was Ai Wei Wei. Initially involved in organizing the Olympics, he quickly became the enemy number one of the Chinese regime. However, the voices of other artists are also interesting. Andrzej Pitrus considers them in the context of the systemic pseudo-change that took place in the People’s Republic of China.
Keywords:
Ai Wei WeiReferences
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Authors
Andrzej Pitrusandrzej@pitrus.com.pl
Jagiellonian University Poland
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5381-3377
Medioznawca i filmoznawca; pracuje w Instytucie Sztuk Audiowizualnych Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego w Krakowie. Mieszka w Torrevieja. Nadal szuka języka, który pozwoli pogodzić akademicką pasję poznania z pragnieniem nazywania rzeczy i zjawisk w sposób prosty. W 2018 r. ukazała się jego książka To nie jest sztuka, panie profesorze poświęcona artystom media artu. W 2019 r. w księgarniach pojawi się jego pierwsza powieść pod tytułem Marieke naga, której bohaterka przeżyła Zagładę. Preferuje towarzystwo dzikich kotów, zwłaszcza pewnej Pumy.
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