In April, 2011 Chinese conceptual artist and social activist Ai Wei Wei disappeared from his home and his whereabouts are unknown. His disappearance has been protested worldwide and has been widely seen as a sign of China's repression of creative expression. It is ironic, therefore, that Ai Wei Wei's "Zodiac Head" a bronze sculpture that explores issues of cultural identity and appropriation is touring the United States at the same time as the exhibit "The Emperor's Private Paradise: Treasures from the Forbidden City." The exhibit will open at the Milwaukee Art Museum on June 11 as part of the museum's"Summer of China" programming.
Mary Louise Schumacher of Milwaukee's Journal Sentinel explores the display of "Zodiac Head" in the context of the exhibit and and raises the question of what responsibility the museum has to educate the public about Ai Wei Wei's plight in the context of celebrating China's cultural history.
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