Probably the most important, influential and bravest artist of our time, Ai Weiwei, in my pantheon is right up there with Duchamp and Warhol as a conceptual genius, but he takes it so much further. He is multi disciplined artist who puts his art and body on the line politically to change China and is slowly succeeding. Ai Weiwei has branched out into music. I had heard he was recording a series of songs a few months ago and this is the first release. I think it goes way beyond what I expected or imagined. The piece, Dumbass, is the first piece from his recording, The Divine Comedy which will be released on June 22, 2013. Here are the lyrics:
Dumbass (Explicit Lyrics)
When you're ready to strike, he mumbles about non-violence.
When you pinch his ear, he says it's no cure for diarrhea.
You say you're a mother-fucker, he claims he's invincible.
You say you're a mother-fucker, he claims he's invincible.
Fuck forgiveness, tolerance be damned, to hell with manners, the low-life's invincible.
Fuck forgiveness, tolerance be damned, to hell with manners, the low-life's invincible.
Oh dumbass, oh such dumbass! Oh dumbass, oh such dumbass!
Oh dumbass, oh such dumbass! Oh dumbass, oh such dumbass!
Lalalalala, lalalalala Lalalalala, lalalalala
Lalalalala, lalalalala Lalalalala, lalalalala
Stand on the frontline like a dumbass, in a country that puts out like a hooker.
The field's full of fuckers, dumbasses are everywhere.
The field's full of fuckers, dumbasses are everywhere.
Fuck forgiveness, tolerance be damned, to hell with manners, the low-life's invincible.
You say you're a mother-fucker, he claims he's invincible.
You say you're a mother-fucker, he claims he's invincible.
The field is full of fuckers, dumbasses are everywhere.
The field's full of fuckers, dumbasses are everywhere.
傻伯夷
当你要出击，他嘟囔非暴力，
你拧他的耳朵，他说这样不治拉稀。
你说你马勒隔壁，他说他天下无敌。
你说你马勒隔壁，他说他天下无敌。
宽恕你大爷，容忍你妈逼，
素质你妹耶，至贱则无敌。
宽恕你大爷，容忍你妈逼，
素质你妹耶，至贱则无敌。
傻伯夷啊傻伯夷，傻伯夷啊傻伯夷，
傻伯夷啊傻伯夷，傻伯夷啊傻伯夷，
啦啦啦啦啦，啦啦啦啦啦。啦啦啦啦啦，啦啦啦啦啦。
啦啦啦啦啦，啦啦啦啦啦。啦啦啦啦啦，啦啦啦啦啦。
像一个傻逼一样站出来，国家就是一只鸡啊
菊花开遍原野，哪哪儿都是傻逼。
菊花开遍原野，哪哪儿啊都是傻逼。
宽恕你大爷，容忍你妈逼，
素质你妹耶，至贱则无敌。
你说你马勒隔壁，他说他天下无敌。
你说你马勒隔壁，他说他天下无敌。
菊花开遍原野，哪哪儿都是傻逼。
菊花开遍原野，哪哪儿啊都是傻逼。
Ai Weiwei wrote, soon after the Beijing Olympic Games:
"Beijing is two cities. One is of power and of money. People don’t care who their neighbors are; they don’t trust you. The other city is one of desperation. I see people on public buses, and I see their eyes, and I see they hold no hope. They can’t even imagine that they’ll be able to buy a house. They come from very poor villages where they’ve never seen electricity or toilet paper. --
The worst thing about Beijing is that you can never trust the judicial system. Without trust, you cannot identify anything; it’s like a sandstorm. You don’t see yourself as part of the city—there are no places that you relate to, that you love to go. No corner, no area touched by a certain kind of light. You have no memory of any material, texture, shape. Everything is constantly changing, according to somebody else’s will, somebody else’s power.
None of my art represents Beijing. The Bird’s Nest—I never think about it. After the Olympics, the common folks don’t talk about it because the Olympics did not bring joy to the people.
There are positives to Beijing. People still give birth to babies. There are a few nice parks. Last week I walked in one, and a few people came up to me and gave me a thumbs up or patted me on the shoulder. Why do they have to do that in such a secretive way? No one is willing to speak out. What are they waiting for? They always tell me, “Weiwei, leave the nation, please.” Or “Live longer and watch them die.” Either leave, or be patient and watch how they die.
This city is not about other people or buildings or streets but about your mental structure. If we remember what Kafka writes about his Castle, we get a sense of it. Cities really are mental conditions. Beijing is a nightmare. A constant nightmare."
Perhaps, if you re not familiar with art, you might recognize Weiwei's brilliant stadium designed for the Chinese Olympic Games. He was internationally recognized for his bold vision and celebrated in China for the cultural acclaim he gave the country, but Weiwei was already a controversial social critique. His piece Dumbass is a surrealistic autobiographical version of his life. The fact that he continues to march bravely on and keep provoking the authorities with his genius and humor is a testament to the great spirit which resides in this man/
"Beijing is two cities. One is of power and of money. People don’t care who their neighbors are; they don’t trust you. The other city is one of desperation. I see people on public buses, and I see their eyes, and I see they hold no hope. They can’t even imagine that they’ll be able to buy a house. They come from very poor villages where they’ve never seen electricity or toilet paper. --
The worst thing about Beijing is that you can never trust the judicial system. Without trust, you cannot identify anything; it’s like a sandstorm. You don’t see yourself as part of the city—there are no places that you relate to, that you love to go. No corner, no area touched by a certain kind of light. You have no memory of any material, texture, shape. Everything is constantly changing, according to somebody else’s will, somebody else’s power.
None of my art represents Beijing. The Bird’s Nest—I never think about it. After the Olympics, the common folks don’t talk about it because the Olympics did not bring joy to the people.
There are positives to Beijing. People still give birth to babies. There are a few nice parks. Last week I walked in one, and a few people came up to me and gave me a thumbs up or patted me on the shoulder. Why do they have to do that in such a secretive way? No one is willing to speak out. What are they waiting for? They always tell me, “Weiwei, leave the nation, please.” Or “Live longer and watch them die.” Either leave, or be patient and watch how they die.
This city is not about other people or buildings or streets but about your mental structure. If we remember what Kafka writes about his Castle, we get a sense of it. Cities really are mental conditions. Beijing is a nightmare. A constant nightmare."
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