Could the international uproar about the case of detained artist Ai Weiwei be bearing some fruit, however small? After long weeks in which the Chinese government refused to say anything substantial about his whereabouts — leading his supporters to fear the worst in the face of unconfirmed reports of torture — authorities finally allowed his wife a brief, inconclusive visit this Sunday, allaying the worst fears but also leaving many questions unanswered. Meanwhile, diplomats and people in the art community alike continue to struggle with how to respond to the issues raised by his arrest, and the continued crackdown in China in general. Below, ARTINFO rounds up the latest developments. 

REPORT OF A VISIT WITH AI

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Yesterday, Ai's wife Lu Qing was permitted a 20-minute visit
with her husband. "I could see redness in his eyes," Lu reported later, according to the Guardian. "It was obvious that
without freedom to express himself he was not behaving naturally even
with me, someone from his family.... He
seemed conflicted, contained, his face was tense." She added: "We could
not talk about the economic charges or other stuff, mainly about the
family and health. We were careful, we knew that the deal could be
broken at any moment, so we were careful."

The visit was held at an unknown location that Lu said she did not
recognize, which she was taken to by authorities who refused to show her any identification. The meeting was
overseen by a pair of officials, one of whom appeared to be "in charge
of Ai," according to Lu, while the other took notes. The imprisoned artist seemed to be
in good health, receiving his required medication. Ai's sister Gao Ge told the Guardian: "Now
that we've seen that his health is OK, of course we are a bit less
anxious, but that's not to say we want him to stay where he is.... We
really want this case to be dealt with as soon as possible and for the
government to follow proper procedures in keeping with Chinese law."

Liu Xiaoyuan, a lawyer who has offered his services to defend Ai against
the still-undetermined charges, told the Guardian that the artist was not being held in either a jail or a detention center, but appeared to be under
"residential surveillance" at an unknown address, a form of detention that can last up to six months. Joshua Rosenzweig, an expert on political prisoners in China, explained that residential surveillance "is supposed to be less
punitive but the way it is being carried out — if it is — is really
turning things on its head. It is much more advantageous to police.
There are very few limits on their ability to interrogate you." The
authorities have still not informed Ai's family as to what the charges
are against him, and how long he might be held.

CONTINUING CENSORSHIP OF REFERENCES TO AI

Meanwhile, reference to Ai in the mainstream Chinese media — even highly indirect ones — continued to be verboten. The Guardian reported that a "daring editorial" in China's Southern Metropolis Daily, which marked the anniversary of the Sichuan Earthquake,  had vanished from the paper's Web site after attracting attention for its allusions to Ai Weiwei's art and activism. The poetic piece was written in "a highly literary, allusive style," and paid tribute to victims of the earthquake who "lived happily on this earth for seven years, or for longer or shorter periods of time" — a clear reference to a phrase spelled out in Chinese characters on the facade of the Haus der Kunst for Ai's piece "Remembering." Another passage stated, "We read their names together... We did so much, and yet we did too little... We can but present the steel zodiac, offer up porcelain sunflower seeds, symbolic memorials to your lives once so tangible." These lines are clear references to the imprisoned artist's activist work cataloging the names of children killed in the earthquake, his public sculpture "Circle of Animals / Zodiac Heads," and his famous "Sunflower Seeds" installation for the Tate Modern.

GALLERIES CALLED ON TO BOYCOTT ART HK

The snarky British blogger who writes under the name Cathedral of Shit has stirred up a ruckus, calling on UK galleries not to participate in Art HK, the Hong Kong art fair that opens May 26, as a statement against the artist's arrest. Art HK, recently purchased by the people behind Art Basel and Art Basel Miami Beach, is considered a key gateway to the rising art collectors of Asia. The Art Newspaper raised the question with galleries like London's Lisson and Berlin's Neugerriemschneider, both of which have Ai Weiwei shows currently up and both of which are scheduled to appear at Art HK. Lisson curator Greg Hilty said, "Lisson has just opened its [Ai Weiwei] show in London to considerable and positive attention; our focus now is on responding to the remarkable public interest in Ai Weiwei's work and current position, and taking appropriate action as the situation unfolds."

Are any galleries rethinking participation in the Hong Kong fair because of politics? No, according to an email from Art HK to the Art Newspaper: "There are 260 galleries participating in [the fair], and we understand that they will all be attending. We expect a number of the galleries exhibiting will present works by [Ai Weiwei], alongside works by over 1,000 other artists represented by galleries from 38 countries around the world."

DIPLOMATIC PRESSURE NOT GAINING STEAM

U.S. secretary of state Hillary Clinton took the opportunity of talks
with the Chinese in Washington, D.C., last week to call the human rights
situation in the country "deplorable." "We worry about the impact on
our domestic politics and on the politics and the stability in China and
the region," Clinton said, according to the Independent. "We see
reports of people, including public-interest lawyers, writers, artists
and others, who are detained or disappeared." China's foreign policy
representative, Dai Bingguo, countered that the communist nation had
made "historic progress" on human rights in recent years.