The BBC has published 60 years' worth of audio archive and transcripts of the Reith Lectures.
The Reith Lectures were named in honour of Lord Reith, the BBC's first director general.
The 1969 lectures, given by the ecologist Frank Fraser Darling, are considered a landmark in the debate surrounding the protection of the environment as he warned of the onset of global warming.
However, the lectures have been criticised for largely being an all-white, all-male affair. The first female Reith Lecturer was Dame Margery Perham in 1961. A writer and lecturer on African affairs, she examined the impact of colonialism.
Robert Gardiner of the UN Economic Commission for Africa was the first non-white lecturer. Speaking in 1965, his broadcasts discussed how how economic inequality affects race relations.
The youngest lecturer is the neurobiologist, Colin Blakemore, who was just thirty years old when asked to deliver the lectures in 1976. His series, Mechanics of the Mind, explored the human brain and consciousness.
The archive has been made available on the Radio 4 website, and via two podcasts Reith Lectures Archive 1948 – 1975 and Reith Lectures 1976 – 2010. Lecture transcripts are also available.
While compiling the archive, Radio 4 discovered several of the older lectures were missing, and is appealing to the public to contact the Reith Lectures team if they have copies of any of the missing recordings.
The 2011 Reith Lectures, entititled Securing Freedom, will be delivered by the Burmese pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi and former MI5 director general Eliza Manningham-Buller.
Aung San Suu Kyi's lectures will address the themes of liberty and dissent, and will be broadcast on Tuesday, 28 June at 0900 BST on BBC Radio 4 and at 1100 GMT on the BBC World Service.
Baroness Manningham-Buller's lectures will be broadcast in September to mark the tenth anniversary of 9/11, and will reflect on the threats to freedom and the means of countering them in the post-9/11 world.
The Reith Lectures archive is the latest development in Radio 4's plan to make more of its archive available to the public. The recent publication of the Desert Island Discs archive has garnered more than three million downloads since its launch two months ago.
Originally Published On: www.bbc.co.uk – Original Article Here
The 276th Board of Executive Directors of the Islamic Development Bank went in session at IDB headquarters in Jeddah, on Sunday, June 26th. The meeting chaired by IDB President Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali, approved a batch of more than $716.7m financings for new development projects in the IDB member countries as well as grants under IDB’s Waqf Fund for projects in communities in non-member countries including Brazil, Burundi, Ethiopia, China, India and Slovenia together with donations for development of four hospitals in Somalia.
Amongst the major approvals of the meeting were a number of strategic projects including; $198m of financings for power generation and primary education projects in Bangladesh, $191m of financing facilities for water transmission & storage plans in Bahrain, $95m for power production in Senegal, a $75m financing line for an Islamic bank in Turkey, $66m of financing for power production in Syria as well as the $25m line of financing for Bank Syariah Mandiri in Indonesia in addition to contributing to several other projects in Gambia, Mali, Sierra Leone and Lebanon.
A batch technical assistance grants approved by the IDB Group President also featured on the agenda of the meeting namely; a $294 thousand grant for technical assistance for feasibility studies on upgrading and reconstruction of Ujar-Zardab-Agjabadi Road in the Republic of Azerbaijan as well as the US$ 312 thousand grant for technical assistance for Cotton Sector Revitalization Program in Mozambique.
Further, the members of the Board discussed the latest arrangements underway for the upcoming 36th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors at the level of finance, economy and planning ministers from 56 IDB member countries due to be held 29th-30th June, 2011, in Jeddah.
Details of the 276th meeting approvals are as follows:
A) Development Projects
1- $198m for projects in Bangladesh
($180m for Bhola 225 MW Combined Cycle Power Plant Project, plus $18m for Primary Education Development Project)
2- $191m for Water Transmission and Storage Development Project, Bahrain
3- $95m for Power Barge Project, Senegal
4- $75m for Line of Financing for Turkey’s Finans Katlim Bankasi (TFKB), Turkey
5- $66.7m additional financing for Dier Al-Zoor Power Plant Project, Syria
6- $25.2m for 20 MW Brikama II Power Project, Gambia
7- $25m for Line of Financing for Bank Syariah Mandiri, Indonesia
8- $21m for Basic Urban Infrastructure for a Social Housing Project in Bamako, Mali
9- $12m for Kabala Water Supply Project, Sierra Leone
10- $5m for Establishment of Three Schools in Priority Areas, Lebanon
B) Grants and special assistance projects under IDB WAQF Fund
- $500 thousand for upgrading Four (4) hospitals in Puntland State, Somalia
- $430 thousand for the establishment of an Islamic Educational Center, Maribor City, Slovenia.
- $400 thousand for Establishment of Primary School in Florianopolis, Brazil
- $360 thousand for the construction of Dormitory for the International Language Institute in the Islamic City, Ningxia Province, China
- $180 thousand for the construction of a Primary School in Kinyinya, Mutimbuzi, Republic of Burundi
- US$ 160 thousand for the construction of St. Bilal School, Kakori Town, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh State, India
- $150 thousand for the Procurement of Workshop Equipment for Daleti Vocational Training School, Ethiopia
C) Operations Approved by the President, IDB
- $294 thousand T.A. (Grant) operation for the Feasibility Study on Upgrading and Reconstruction of Ujar-Zardab-Agjabadi, Azerbaijan.
- $312.5 thousand T.A. (Grant) Financing for Cotton Sector Revitalization Program, Mozambique
The ongoing meeting of the board of Executive Directors of the IDB is scheduled to wrap up work concurrent with the closing ceremony of the 36th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Bank on 30th June, 2011.
Originally Published On: www.ameinfo.com – Original Article Here
(Adds Maersk COO, MSC comment, details)
By Randy Fabi
SINGAPORE, June 30 (Reuters) – The world’s largest container
firm suspended operations at several Iranian ports, potentially
disrupting critical food shipments as it complies with
tightening U.S. sanctions.
A.P. Moller-Maersk (MAERSKb.CO) manages several refigerated
ships that transport food to the country, typically a major
importer of wheat, rice and palm oil.
Although shipments could be delayed ahead of the Muslim
fasting month of Ramadan, analysts do not expect any major
long-term disruption.
Maersk operates in other Iranian ports and could also divert
shipments to Dubai, partnering with other companies that are not
bound by U.S. sanctions aimed at curtailing Iran’s alleged
nuclear weapons programme.
“Although Maersk has suspended its direct service to Bandar
Abbas, it is still able to carry cargo to Iran using third-party
feeders,” said Hua Joo Tan, an analyst with industry consultancy
group Alphaliner.
“Most container services are still calling at Iranian ports
as most of these operators are not affected by the U.S.
sanctions.”
The United States last week blacklisted Tidewater Middle
East Co. and prohibited U.S. entities from any transactions with
the major Iranian port operator, which manages over 90 percent
of the country’s container operations.
“Maersk Line is committed to complying with all relevant
foreign trade controls and sanctions programmes,” said Morten
Engelstoft, chief operating officer for Maersk Line in a
statement on Thursday.
“In this connection, Maersk Line has decided to cease
acceptance of, business to and from the Iranian ports of Bandar
Abbas, Bandar Khomeini and Asaluyeh.”
SHIPPING ALTERNATIVES
The sanctions on Iran are expected to force many shippers to
avoid the main container terminal at Bandar Abbas and other port
facilities managed by Tidewater Middle East, which Washington
suspects is run by the Revolutionary Guards.
Tidewater-managed ports have been used to export arms or
handle related material in violation of U.N. Security Council
resolutions, the U.S. Treasury said last week.
“They (Iran) are significant importers of Australian wheat,
Thai rice and Malaysian palm oil,” said Ker Chung Yang, an
agricultural commodities analyst at Phillip Futures in
Singapore.
“We are not sure how they are going to sort this out as it
could disrupt food supply to Iran, especially ahead of the
Ramadan festival.”
Hong Kong-based Orient Overseas Container Line
last week suspended its direct voyages to Bandar Abbas, saying
it was due to commercial reasons and not because of U.S.
sanctions.
A spokesman for privately owned Switzerland-based
Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), the world’s second largest
container firm after Maersk, said its Iranian operations were
not immediately affected by the sanctions.
Bandar Abbas, the world’s 49th largest container port in
2009, handled around 2.6 million twenty-foot equivalent
container units last year, according to Tidewater’s website.
The port, along with Bandar Imam and Bandar Amirabad,
handled a total of 2.56 million tonnes of general cargo and
10.32 million tonnes of bulk goods.
(Additional reporting by Naveen Thukral; Editing by Michael
Urquhart)
Originally Published On: www.reuters.com – Original Article Here
LOS ANGELES |
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Add Jeff Bridges to the long list of Hollywood actors who fancy themselves rock stars.
He convincingly played a washed-up country singer in “Crazy Heart,” winning an Oscar last year. In real life, Bridges is just as credible promoting his first album for a major label.
He took the stage at the Troubadour nightclub in Los Angeles on Tuesday to perform an hourlong set of folk-oriented material drawn mostly from his self-titled release, due out August 16 through Blue Note Records.
“This is surreal, man,” he said. “This is very rewind.”
Indeed, the 61-year-old actor is no newbie on the music scene, and the album is no vanity project. He recalled that the last time he played the hallowed venue was during a “hootenanny” in his early teens.
He went on to collaborate with film composer Quincy Jones, who introduced him at Tuesday’s industry showcase and described the young Bridges as “stone Haight-Ashbury,” a reference to the then-prevailing hippie scene.
While Hollywood beckoned in the form of a breakthrough role in the 1971 film “The Last Picture Show,” Bridges found an outlet for his musical talents in such films as 1989′s “The Fabulous Baker Boys.” He also recorded an album, “Be Here Soon,” for an independent label in 2001.
His turn in “Crazy Heart” as whiskey-swilling Bad Blake brought him a whole new level of musical recognition. The producer of that film’s soundtrack, his long-time friend T-Bone Burnett, also produced the new album. Bridges wrote two of the album’s 10 tracks himself.
He appeared to be having fun on stage, at one point treating the crowd to a funny anecdote about filming “Heaven’s Gate” as he tried to tune his guitar before giving up and handing it to his roadie.
Backed by a four-man band, and alternating between an acoustic and electric guitar, Bridges played a mix of songs from the new album and from the “Crazy Heart” soundtrack. Some were funereal, like the new “Slow Boat.” Others were more rockabilly like the “Crazy Heart” tune “Somebody Else.”
“I wish my mom and dad could be here tonight,” he said, referring to late acting couple Dorothy and Lloyd Bridges. “They would have dug this a lot.”
But he had plenty of support from his family, including his wife of 34 years Sue, to whom he dedicated a cover of Bob Dylan’s love song “The Man in Me,” and elder brother Beau. Hollywood stars in the crowd included Pierce Brosnan, Ryan Reynolds and Olivia Wilde.
(Reporting by Dean Goodman, editing by Jackie Frank)
Originally Published On: www.reuters.com – Original Article Here
LONDON, June 30 (Reuters) - European shares are set to rise for a fourth
straight day on Thursday, with investors' risk appetite rising on expectations
that an initial positive vote by Greece's parliament on austerity measures will
help the country in avoiding a default.
Britain's FTSE 100 was likely to open 17 to 21 points higher, or up
as much as 0.4 percent; Germany's DAX was set to gain 20 to 24 points,
or up as much as 0.3 percent and France's CAC-40 was set to rise 7 to 11
points, or as much as 0.3 percent higher, according to financial bookmakers.
"The successful passage of the Greek austerity measures has put traders in a
'risk on' mood. Whilst the parliamentary vote was only one of many hurdles, and
another crucial vote today on the implementation of the measures has to be
surpassed, traders are feeling confident that a default can be averted," said
Jonathan Sudaria, dealer at Capital Spreads.
MARKET SNAPSHOT AT 518 GMT
LAST PCT CHG NET CHG
S&P 500 1,307.41 0.83 % 10.74
NIKKEI 9,811.97 0.15 % 14.71
MSCI ASIA EX-JP 1.21 % 6.78
EUR/USD 1.4501 0.49 % 0.0070
USD/JPY 80.32 -0.53 % -0.4300
10-YR US TSY 3.104 -- -0.02
YLD
10-YR BUND YLD 2.988 -- 0.00
SPOT GOLD $1,512.5 0.06 % $0.96
1
US CRUDE CLc1 $95.27 0.53 % 0.50
* Stocks, euro climb as Greece votes for austerity
* Nikkei runs out of steam after hitting 7-week high
* Wall St posts biggest 3-day surge in three months
* Euro extends gains, cheered by Greek vote
* LME Copper steadies after Greek vote
* Gold inches up on weak dollar after Greek vote
* TREASURIES-Advance as Asian investors hunt bargains
* Brent stays above $112 on Greece vote, tight US stocks
(Reporting by Atul Prakash; Editing by Hans-Juergen Peters)
Originally Published On: www.reuters.com – Original Article Here
A British student who was knocked out in the early stages of the UK's X Factor has gone on to win the French version of the show.
Though he clearly struggled to hit some of the highest notes on the latter, the jury praised his energy, his presence on stage, and his progress throughout the competition.
Matthew Raymond-Barker sang in both English and French throughout the contest.
He admits his spoken French was "a bit iffy" when he first arrived in the country, but he is now fluent, and thinks the French appreciated the "massive effort" he made with the language.
And he was much more relaxed second time round.
"I thought I've got nothing to lose – it's going to be a good experience whatever happens.
"I just had the aim to go one step further than I did in the UK, but it obviously worked out a lot better!"
"I was just trying really, really hard to do my best here," Mr Raymond-Barker told the BBC.
"I'm not the best singer in the world, believe me, but I just try really hard.
"I know people say that X Factor is the really quick way to do it – like it's the lazy way – but it can show your determination.
"I'm not going to pretend it didn't hurt when I was rejected from the UK competition – I cried on the way back on the Tube!"
So what's next for Matthew Raymond-Barker?
"I think I'll be staying in France for the time being, and then hopefully in the future I can spread my wings and fly to many different countries."
He has won a recording contract and his first single, Vivre Ou Survivre – which he sang last night – will be released on Saturday.
Originally Published On: www.bbc.co.uk – Original Article Here
TOKYO, June 30 |
TOKYO, June 30 (Reuters) – Japanese government bond futures
extended losses for a second straight session to hit a one-week
low on Thursday on easing worries about Greece’s debt woes, but
support at their 20-day moving average held firm.
* But many players believe the bull-run in JGBs is not over
yet with the Japanese bond market finding more support than
overseas markets from cash-rich domestic banks and insurers.
“Even though it looks like we will avoid a worst case
scenario with Greece’s fiscal problems, the global economy
continues to slow down and this will continue to support the
bond market,” said Makoto Yamashita, chief Japan interest rate
strategist at Deutsche Securities.
* U.S. Treasury yields reached their highest levels in a
month on Wednesday. Investors in Treasuries are now expected to
shift focus to what they expect will be an improving economic
story that could send yields still higher.
* The benchmark 10-year yield was up 2 basis points at 1.135
percent , moving away from a seven-month low of
1.085 percent marked this week, and underperforming other
maturities.
* Players said futures led declines, which meant medium-term
maturities such as seven-year cash bonds underperformed.
* But losses were limited as five-year notes and superlongs,
such as 20- and 30-years, were supported by investors such as
regional financial institutions, according to a trader at a U.S.
brokerage firm.
* The trader added that the volume of selling was limited as
supplies remained tight in most maturities, but position
adjustments ahead of an auction next week might be weighing on
10-year bonds.
* September 10-year JGB futures dropped 0.24 point to 141.10
2JGBv1, off a seven-month high of 141.63 hit on Tuesday and
approaching their 20-day moving average near 141.07.
* Foreign investors turned net sellers of Japanese bonds
last week, Ministry of Finance capital flow data showed on
Thursday. They sold a net 978.7 billion yen ($12.1 billion) of
bonds, the biggest volume of net sales since September 2008,
after net purchases of 96.2 billion the week before. Click on
* Foreign investors bought a massive five trillion in the
six weeks to May 28, but recent data suggests a slowdown in
foreign buying, led partly by China. Massive JGB redemption was
likely behind last week’s net selling.
($1 = 80.755 Japanese Yen)
(Reporting by Akiko Takeda; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
Originally Published On: www.reuters.com – Original Article Here
(Repeats to fix formatting)
HONG KONG, June 30 (Reuters) - The following are some of the
major companies planning initial public offerings on the Hong
Kong stock exchange.
Please contact Twinnie Siu at twinnie.siu@thomsonreuters.com
or (+852) 2841-5763 to submit entries for this diary.
Click on the square bracket for the latest story.
* Denotes new entry or update
^ Information based on local media reports
===============================================================
DEBUT COMPANY SHRS PRICE MANAGERS PROCEEDS
DATE (MLN) (HK$/SHR) (US$MLN)
===============================================================
Jul Newton 1,000 1.75 Citigroup, 225
4 Resources Ltd Macquarie,
Rothschild
---------------------------------------------------------------
Jul Beijing Jingneng 2,360 1.63- BOC Int'l 496-633
8 Clean Energy 2.08 Goldman Sachs,
UBS
---------------------------------------------------------------
*^Jul Prince Frog 300 2.51- CCB Int'l, 200
15 International 3.76
Holdings Ltd
---------------------------------------------------------------
2011 BNP Paribas SA N.A. N.A. ICBC Int'l N.A.
Jul
---------------------------------------------------------------
2011 Sun Art Retail 1,140 5.65- Citigroup, 1,100
Jul Group Ltd 7.20 HSBC, UBS
---------------------------------------------------------------
2011 Sany Heavy 282 N.A. BAML, 2,500-
Jul Industry Co Citigroup, 3,000
Citic Securities
---------------------------------------------------------------
Jul/ China Everbright 10,500 N.A. BNP Paribas, 6,000
Aug Bank BOC Int'l,
CICC,
Everbright
Securities,
HSBC,
JPMorgan,
Morgan Stanley,
Shenyin Wanguo,
UBS
---------------------------------------------------------------
2011 China Shouguang N.A. N.A. BOC Int'l 800-
Q2 Agricultural JPMorgan 1,000
Product Logistic UBS
Park
---------------------------------------------------------------
2011 Baroque Japan N.A. N.A. N.A. 300
Q2 Ltd
---------------------------------------------------------------
2011 New Century N.A. N.A. Deutsche Bank 1,000
H1 Shipbuilding Co
---------------------------------------------------------------
2011 Sunshine 100 N.A. N.A. Morgan Stanley, 1,000
H1 Real Estate Group UBS
---------------------------------------------------------------
2011 New China Life N.A. N.A. CICC, UBS 400
Sept Insurance Co Ltd (Total)
(HK & Shanghai
listing)
---------------------------------------------------------------
2011 Jianhua N.A. N.A. Citic 500-
Concrete Pile Securities, 600
Group Deutsche Bank,
Morgan Stanley
---------------------------------------------------------------
2011 Village Roadshow N.A. N.A. JPMorgan, 300
Q3 Entertainment UBS
Group
---------------------------------------------------------------
2011 Guangdong N.A. N.A. BAML, 5,400
Q3 Development Citigroup,
Bank Deutsche Bank,
Goldman Sachs,
---------------------------------------------------------------
2011 Haitong Securities N.A. N.A. Credit Suisse, 2,000
Q4 Deutsche Bank,
JPMorgan
---------------------------------------------------------------
2011 Lontoh Coal N.A. N.A. N.A. 300-
H2 500
---------------------------------------------------------------
2011 XCMG Construction N.A. N.A. BNP Paribas, 1,000-
H2 Machinery CICC, 1,500
Credit Suisse,
HSBC,
Morgan Stanley,
Macquarie
---------------------------------------------------------------
2011 Hop Hing Food N.A. N.A. BOC Int'l, 300
H2 Group HSBC,
Nomura
---------------------------------------------------------------
2011 WHM Group N.A. N.A. N.A. 300
H2
---------------------------------------------------------------
2011 Technovator N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A.
H2 (Tsinghua Tongfang
Co Ltd's
subsidiary)
---------------------------------------------------------------
2011 Mechel N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A.
H2
---------------------------------------------------------------
2011 World Class N.A. N.A. N.A. 1,000
H2 Solar Co's
multicrystalline
wafers business
---------------------------------------------------------------
2011 Taikang Life N.A. N.A. N.A. 1,000
H2 Insurance
---------------------------------------------------------------
^2011 Hongguo N.A. N.A. Citigroup, 300
International DBS
Holdings Ltd
---------------------------------------------------------------
*2011 China Hanking 640 2.47- BNP Paribas, 254
Holdings Ltd 3.09 BoCom Int'l
Credit Suisse,
(Postponed) Deutsche bank
---------------------------------------------------------------
2011 Sunshine Oilsands N.A. N.A. BOC Int'l 1,000
Ltd
---------------------------------------------------------------
2011 Fujian Billion N.A. N.A. BAML, 400-
Polymerization CCB Int'l 600
Fiber Ind. Co. UBS
---------------------------------------------------------------
2011 Galaxy Resources N.A. N.A. BNP Paribas, 200
Morgan Stanley
(Postponed)
---------------------------------------------------------------
2011 EuroSibEnergo N.A. N.A. BAML, 1,100-
Credit Suisse, 1,500
(Postponed) RBS, RenCap,
Sberbank
---------------------------------------------------------------
2011 COFCO's property N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A.
business unit
---------------------------------------------------------------
2011 Citic Securities 1,105 N.A. BOC Int'l, 1,600
Co CCB Int'l
---------------------------------------------------------------
2011 TransContainer N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A.
---------------------------------------------------------------
2011 Phoenix New Media
Originally Published On: www.reuters.com – Original Article Here
A Francis Bacon painting has sold for nearly £18m at auction in London on Tuesday.
Study for a Portrait 1953 exceeded expectation as Christie's had valued the masterpiece at £11m.
The oil canvas, which has not been up for auction before, was described as "an arresting and dark study in the degradation of power".
It was previously owned by two of Bacon's contemporaries – Rodrigo Moynihan and Louis Le Brocquy.
The work was the second most valuable piece to be sold at one of Christie's post-war and contemporary art sales, a spokesperson said.
The highest selling work in this category was Bacon's Triptych, which went for £26.3m in February 2008.
Other items sold at Tuesday's auction included Lucian Freud's Woman Smiling, 1958-59, which went for £4.7m. Seven works from the collection of Kay Saatchi went for a total of £3.9m.
Originally Published On: www.bbc.co.uk – Original Article Here
NEW YORK |
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A photography exhibit offering glimpses of Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei’s time spent living in New York in the 1980s and early 1990s opened on Wednesday, marking the first major museum exhibit of his work since his release from detention.
The artist, whose detention in April in China ignited an international uproar after his family said allegations of economic crimes against him were an excuse to silence his criticism of contemporary China, did not attend the exhibit. Beijing has demanded Ai pay $1.85 million in taxes and fines.
Some in the art world have wondered if the market value of Ai’s work might rise with his newfound global fame as a symbol of China’s tight grip on dissent, which has seen the detention and arrest of dozens of rights activists and dissidents.
The answer seems to be a likely yes, for now, but the exhibit at The Asia Society Museum did not place any values on Ai’s work and instead focused on his art.
Organizers said the timing of the exhibit showing 227 black and white photographs taken by Ai, a conceptual artist known for his sculptures and installations, was purely coincidental with his release from two month’s detention last week.
The exhibition, which runs until August 14, shows photographs by the now bearded, burly artist from 1983 to 1993 before he found fame for helping design the Bird’s Nest stadium for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and for his investigative activities into children who died in shoddy buildings in Sichuan’s earthquake in 2008.
“If anything he would see this as a bit of a homecoming. He hasn’t had a major show in a museum here in New York City,” said Asia Society Museum Director Melissa Chiu, adding the exhibit showed “his time here in New York helped him to think about life as an artist in a different way.”
EAST VILLAGE AI
The exhibit captures self-portraits of a young Ai and seminal Chinese artists in their earlier days such as composer Tan Dun, Chinese director Chen Kaige who directed films such as “Farewell My Concubine” and artist Xu Bing, as well as other prominent figures such as writer Allen Ginsberg.
It also offers glimpses of Ai’s early fascination with protest power, including capturing the Tompkins Square Park riot in 1988 in New York City’s East Village, a neighborhood that, at the time, was home to many artists.
The exhibit marks the first time the photographs, chosen by Ai from an archive of 10,000, have traveled outside China after first being shown in Beijing in 2009. “There are lots of ideas in this exhibit that we see today in his work and the impact of his time in New York,” said Chiu.
“There are these kinds of alignments that show up today from his understanding of the power of social protest, which was going on in the Lower East Side, to the idea of an artistic community which he actually transferred to China,” she said.
Organizers had been in discussion with Ai a year ago in preparation for the exhibition, but when he was arrested in April, “we weren’t certain it could go forward, but we did manage to get the photographs from China,” said Chiu. “Now are lucky to have the exhibition after his release.”
The photographs are not for sale, but there is little doubt gallery owners will be watching to see if stronger interest develops in Ai’s work because of his detention in China.
“The prices will most certainly spike,” Richard Vine, senior editor for Asia at Art in America magazine, told Reuters ahead of the show.
“He’s gone from being one among many interesting artists in China, to being seen as the leading figure. That kind of press attention, and the difficulty now of getting new pieces, would only lead to increased prices.”
But Chiu noted that “market value is not always the same thing as fame and celebrity. It sometimes helps but there is not the same correlation…whether it (fame) contributes to the value of his artwork is yet to be determined.”
(Additional reporting by Chris Michaud, editing by Bob Tourtellotte)
Originally Published On: www.reuters.com – Original Article Here