TORONTO —
Since the novel coronavirus swept across the world, face masks of all shapes, sizes and colours have hit the market to help people protect themselves and others.
But one artist has created a face mask that is not meant to be worn, but to be framed.
Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei is the man behind the concept: a series of medical masks that have been printed with special designs. The masks are intended to raise money for charity and also make a statement about the world.
In an Instagram post on May 28, he wrote that a person’s “small individual act becomes powerful when they are part of the social response.
“An individual wearing a mask makes a gesture; a society wearing masks combats a deadly virus. And a society that wears masks because of the choices of individuals, rather than because of the directive of authorities, can defy and withstand any force,” the post reads.
“No will is too small and no act too helpless.”
Weiwei’s life has been a journey of activism through art. It was no different when he set out to make a COVID-19 mask.
“I printed one mask to show my son and I put it on Instagram,” the artist told CTV News. “Suddenly, a lot of people asked me where to get it.”
An Instagram post from April 28 shows a simple medical mask with a black and white print on it of a defiant middle finger — an Ai Weiwei classic.
A single mask goes for US$50 on eBay, where Weiwei has put them up for sale. The proceeds from the masks sold will be split equally between three charities: Human Rights Watch, Refugees International and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders. MSF has created a special COVID-19 crisis fund to raise money for their emergency pandemic response across the globe.
Some of the other designs printed on Weiwei’s masks include sunflower seeds, handcuffs, a bird, a crab, and a skeleton hand giving the middle finger, among other images.
Throughout Weiwei’s long career, his work has been meant to challenge and provoke. The artist became an outspoken critic of China after the government censored information about a catastrophic earthquake in Sichuan province in 2008, which killed tens of thousands.
Weiwei’s art installation called “Snake Ceiling,” which came to the Art Gallery of Ontario in 2013, drew inspiration from this tragedy. The piece utilized hundreds of backpacks hung from the ceiling in a twisting pattern to symbolize the more than 5,000 students who died in the earthquake when their schools collapsed. Government officials would not release the official death toll for students until a year after the earthquake, and activists still believe the true death toll is higher.
In 2011, amid a government crackdown on political activists and dissidents, Weiwei was arrested in China for tax evasion and spent 81 days in jail and four years under house arrest. He was allowed to leave the country in 2015, and now lives in the United Kingdom.
In some ways, he believes those difficult years prepared him for living with a pandemic.
“I’m very familiar with this kind of isolation since I was detained in China and also my family was exiled when I was born,” he said. “So, this is nothing new to me, isolation and to have distance with so-called society.”
With museums and galleries under lockdown, creating these masks is another way to connect, he says. In difficult times, art is an essential service.
“I think that [art] should happen when it’s needed, especially in this kind of crisis, where humans are in a desperate situation, trying to use their imagination or they need courage,” Weiwei said. “So, they need art to fill up the gap.”
The middle finger masks are listed as woodcut prints on eBay. This is a technique where an artist shallowly carves an image in relief into a block of wood. Ink is then spread over the design and the paper for the print — in this case, a mask instead of paper — is pressed carefully to the ink to transfer the image.
A similar effect can be achieved by carving soft linoleum as well, called linocut printing, which Weiwei can be seen doing in an Instagram video posted on May 28 that advertises the masks.
Although the original designs were carved in wood or lino, in order to produce more copies of the artwork, the designs have been silk-screened by hand onto the masks.
Those who buy one of his masks can wear it if they want, Weiwei said, though the eBay listings note that they aren’t meant for medical use. But he expects most people will simply want to collect and preserve it.
LONDON (AP) — With a few daubs of a paintbrush, the Brontë sisters have got their dots back.
More than eight decades after it was installed, a memorial to the three 19th-century sibling novelists in London’s Westminster Abbey was amended Thursday to restore the diaereses – the two dots over the e in their surname.
The dots — which indicate that the name is pronounced “brontay” rather than “bront” — were omitted when the stone tablet commemorating Charlotte, Emily and Anne was erected in the abbey’s Poets’ Corner in October 1939, just after the outbreak of World War II.
They were restored after Brontë historian Sharon Wright, editor of the Brontë Society Gazette, raised the issue with Dean of Westminster David Hoyle. The abbey asked its stonemason to tap in the dots and its conservator to paint them.
“There’s no paper record for anyone complaining about this or mentioning this, so I just wanted to put it right, really,” Wright said. “These three Yorkshire women deserve their place here, but they also deserve to have their name spelled correctly.”
It’s believed the writers’ Irish father Patrick changed the spelling of his surname from Brunty or Prunty when he went to university in England.
Raised on the wild Yorkshire moors, all three sisters died before they were 40, leaving enduring novels including Charlotte’s “Jane Eyre,” Emily’s “Wuthering Heights” and Anne’s “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.”
Rebecca Yorke, director of the Brontë Society, welcomed the restoration.
“As the Brontës and their work are loved and respected all over the world, it’s entirely appropriate that their name is spelled correctly on their memorial,” she said.
In a case that has sent shockwaves through the Vancouver Island art community, a local art dealer has been charged with one count of fraud over $5,000. Calvin Lucyshyn, the former operator of the now-closed Winchester Galleries in Oak Bay, faces the charge after police seized hundreds of artworks, valued in the tens of millions of dollars, from various storage sites in the Greater Victoria area.
Alleged Fraud Scheme
Police allege that Lucyshyn had been taking valuable art from members of the public under the guise of appraising or consigning the pieces for sale, only to cut off all communication with the owners. This investigation began in April 2022, when police received a complaint from an individual who had provided four paintings to Lucyshyn, including three works by renowned British Columbia artist Emily Carr, and had not received any updates on their sale.
Further investigation by the Saanich Police Department revealed that this was not an isolated incident. Detectives found other alleged victims who had similar experiences with Winchester Galleries, leading police to execute search warrants at three separate storage locations across Greater Victoria.
Massive Seizure of Artworks
In what has become one of the largest art fraud investigations in recent Canadian history, authorities seized approximately 1,100 pieces of art, including more than 600 pieces from a storage site in Saanich, over 300 in Langford, and more than 100 in Oak Bay. Some of the more valuable pieces, according to police, were estimated to be worth $85,000 each.
Lucyshyn was arrested on April 21, 2022, but was later released from custody. In May 2024, a fraud charge was formally laid against him.
Artwork Returned, but Some Remain Unclaimed
In a statement released on Monday, the Saanich Police Department confirmed that 1,050 of the seized artworks have been returned to their rightful owners. However, several pieces remain unclaimed, and police continue their efforts to track down the owners of these works.
Court Proceedings Ongoing
The criminal charge against Lucyshyn has not yet been tested in court, and he has publicly stated his intention to defend himself against any pending allegations. His next court appearance is scheduled for September 10, 2024.
Impact on the Local Art Community
The news of Lucyshyn’s alleged fraud has deeply affected Vancouver Island’s art community, particularly collectors, galleries, and artists who may have been impacted by the gallery’s operations. With high-value pieces from artists like Emily Carr involved, the case underscores the vulnerabilities that can exist in art transactions.
For many art collectors, the investigation has raised concerns about the potential for fraud in the art world, particularly when it comes to dealing with private galleries and dealers. The seizure of such a vast collection of artworks has also led to questions about the management and oversight of valuable art pieces, as well as the importance of transparency and trust in the industry.
As the case continues to unfold in court, it will likely serve as a cautionary tale for collectors and galleries alike, highlighting the need for due diligence in the sale and appraisal of high-value artworks.
While much of the seized artwork has been returned, the full scale of the alleged fraud is still being unraveled. Lucyshyn’s upcoming court appearances will be closely watched, not only by the legal community but also by the wider art world, as it navigates the fallout from one of Canada’s most significant art fraud cases in recent memory.
Art collectors and individuals who believe they may have been affected by this case are encouraged to contact the Saanich Police Department to inquire about any unclaimed pieces. Additionally, the case serves as a reminder for anyone involved in high-value art transactions to work with reputable dealers and to keep thorough documentation of all transactions.
As with any investment, whether in art or other ventures, it is crucial to be cautious and informed. Art fraud can devastate personal collections and finances, but by taking steps to verify authenticity, provenance, and the reputation of dealers, collectors can help safeguard their valuable pieces.
