Henri Neuendorf
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Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei will speak at the International Literature Festival Berlin, in a panel discussion with fellow Chinese dissident and poet Liao Yiwu. The conversation will be moderated by the prominent German journalist and writer Wolfgang Herles.
The event—taking place on September 2 in Berlin’s Philharmonic Hall—marks the first time that the artist will make a public speech since his 81 day detention in 2011.
The two men are expected to talk about contemporary art, literature, and their brushes with the Chinese state.
The symposium takes place in Berlin’s Philharmonic Symphony Hall.
Photo: Berliner Philharmoniker
The Chinese state imprisoned Liao Yiwu for four years in 1989.
The poet went on to become one of the best known Chinese authors in the west; famous for seminal works such as Interviews with People from the Bottom Rung of Society (2002), and Miss Hello and the Emperor Farmer (2009).
Liao Yiwu is one of the best known Chinese writers in the west.
Photo: FAZ
Organizers said that the two superstars of Chinese culture will participate in a book-signing in the foyer of Berlin’s Philharmonic Hall after the symposium.
Ai Weiwei and Liao Yiwu currently both live in Berlin. The Chinese government unexpectedly returned the artist’s passport in July, allowing him to leave the country for the first time in four years. He is expected to take up a guest professorship at Berlin’s University of the Arts.
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