Demolition crews have demolished controversial Chinese artist Ai Weiwei’s studio in Beijing without warning, the activist said on social media, where he also posted footage of the building’s destruction.
His “Zuoyou” studio is in the Caochangdi art district in northeastern Beijing and is built in a style that he described as “East German-style socialist factory building”.
Ai Weiwei ran a detailed series of videos on Instagram showing the building being knocked down inside and outside by a wrecking crew.
“Demolition of the studio starts now. 2.00 Beijing time,” he said in a comment on the video posting.
Cultural centre
Ai Weiwei and other artists transformed the Caochangdi industrial area into a hip cultural centre over the past decades, similar to what happened in the capital’s 798 art zone, but in recent years there has been widespread development in the area and many artists are moving elsewhere.
It’s not clear whether Ai Weiwei was being specifically targeted as large swathes of older properties in the city have been cleared in recent months as part of a public safety campaign.
The feeling will be a familiar one for the artist. In 2011, Ai Weiwei’s Shanghai studio was also demolished without warning and he spent the next four years living under house arrest.
He has been spending a lot of time in Berlin since 2015 when he was allowed to leave China.
You can see the videos on Instagram at @aiww.
