Post date: Nov 17, 2012 6:46:11 PM
Artist Anish Kapoor makes a special "Gangnam Style" video in support of Chinese dissident Ai Weiwei
LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (NOVEMBER 15, 2012) (REUTERS) - Turner prize-winning artist Anish Kapoor showed support for Chinese dissidentAi Weiwei by remaking the popular "Gangnam Style" music video in London on Thursday (November 15).
Artists, dancers, actors and designers gathered at Kapoor's studio in south London and danced to the hit by South Korean rapper Psy featuring a now world-famous horse-riding style dance."Gangnam Style lends itself so well to political comment. This is about dissidents, all those people in the world who're imprisoned unfairly, poets, writers, journalists, etc. My colleague Ai Weiwei of course made a Gangnam Style video. It was taken off the web within 24 hours in China, and we're hoping we'll replace it," said Kapoor, sporting a shirt with a picture of Ai Weiwei.
Ai used handcuffs and straw horses in his recent parody of "Gangnam Style" to highlight censorship n China. Handcuffs were also used in Kapoor's version of the video.
"It's quite crazy but it's fun. It's a lot of fun, because you know we artists, there's a lot of kind of people involved from the arts world, and it's really, I think it's trying to speak up for a good cause, so it's very important that we do this," said choreographer Akram Khan.
The new protest video also saw English National Ballet's prima ballerina-turned-artistic director Tamara Rojo in the role of "sexy lady".
Kapoor, who designed the 115-metre tall "Orbit" tower on London's Olympic Park, thanked those who came out to help make the video.
"I'm thrilled with it, in the sense that we set out to do something, and you know, what energy, what great great performance of these wonderful people . They just came and gave it all to the best cause in the world," he exclaimed.