The BBC reports that previously arrested Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has accepted an honorary professorship at Berlin’s University of the Arts. Ai was offered the position late last April, while he was still being detained by the Chinese government. The artist was released on June 22, but has yet to speak about his experiences while under arrest. It’s not clear what Ai’s acceptance actually means, since he is currently banned from leaving Beijing without permission. It doesn’t seem likely that the government would allow him to take up residence in Berlin, so In the Air thinks that Ai should just Skype in to all his lectures.

There are a few Chinese dissidents who have chosen to leave their home country rather than suffer under restrictions of expression. Most recently, writer Liao Yiwu fled China’s Sichuan Province for Berlin, via transfers in “Hanoi, Vietnam and Warsaw,” according to the New York Times. Liao cited heightened police intimidation and threats as reasons for the move. Prior to his arrest, Ai Weiwei was in the middle of establishing a studio space in Berlin. Could the city be the artist’s new home base, and a new center of the Chinese intellectual diaspora?

Fighting the Tax Charges

The Chinese government has charged Ai’s FAKE studio with evading over $700,000 in tax; the artist now faces fines of $2 million. The studio denies the tax evasion charges. Given China’s record using allegations of economic crimes to imprison dissidents, it wouldn’t be at all surprising if the charges were entirely fake. Ai is hoping to fight the charges and the firm plans to meet with government officials on Thursday to discuss how to resolve the fines.

Tags: Ai Weiwei, China, Chinese Art, Politics