Panel tonight: Art, politics, censorship at the Soap Factory

Hope to see you there:

As part of the Soap Factory's fall exhibition of Three Artists: Guo Gai, Meng Tang & Slinko, we present a moderated discussion on the subject of Art, Politics and Censorship.

Speakers are Professor Edward Farmer and Professor Tom Rose from the University of Minnesota, Eric Lorberer Editor of Raintaxi Review of Books and journalist and blogger Paul Schmelzer from the Eyeteeth blog.

The discussion will be informed and wide-ranging, covering the interlocking issues that Meng Tang, Guo Gai and Slinko address in their work: all artists who have lived and practiced under repressive regimes, and have used their work to negotiate and understand their lives as artists in those societies. The central concept is the intersection of art and politics: the speakers will look at how and why visual art can be censored, for whatever reason, across different cultures and what engagement, if any, should art have in issues that disturb the cultural status quo.

Please join us at 7:00pm for an evening of lively and informed discussion, and be prepared to join the debate.

More on Guo Gai and Natliya Slinko. Pictured: Installation of Guo Gai's works at the Soap Factory.

Guo Gai reportedly has been released

Finally some good news about artists in China:

Debra deNoyelles of the Soap Factory in Minneapolis emails to say that Guo Gai, the Chinese artist arrested on Mar. 24 and held since then, has been released from prison. Gai was taken into custody after photographing a performance that had pro-democracy themes, although I've speculated that his politically pointed art might have something to do with his protracted detention. Gai's large-scale photographs will be exhibited at the Soap Factory in August, along with the premiere of a choral work based on recent events in Chinese history, but deNoyelles says it's "patently clear that he will not be approved to leave the country to attend the exhibition." She says she'll know more about Gai tomorrow.