Kapoor, who dedicated his latest work "Leviathan" to Ai, wrote in The Times: "When governments silence artists it bears witness to their barbarity." — news.yahoo.com

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is alarmed to learn that a journalist at Southern Metropolis Daily newspaper in China is facing punishment after he penned a May 12 editorial that obliquely endorsed the actions of detained artist Ai Weiwei. — scoop.co.nz

The attorney and family friend, Liu Xiaoyuan, said he had met on Monday with Lu Qing and that she said her husband appeared to be in good physical condition. Mr. Ai also asked about the health of his mother and family, he said, but the circumstance of the supervised visit offered no chance to discuss how his captors were treating him or other details of his confinement. — NYTimes.com

The museum said it will hold a silent protest in support of Ai on Thursday at its downtown location. A spokeswoman said that the 24-hour protest will start 11 a.m. on Thursday and continue through 11 a.m. the next day. Volunteer participants will occupy two traditionally styled Chinese chairs for one-hour periods. — latimesblogs.latimes.com

The Chinese government said on Tuesday it was "unhappy" with foreign support for detained artist and activist Ai Weiwei, after Ai's detention last week sparked an outcry from Washington and other Western governments. — Reuters

Twelve 363kg (800lb) bronze animal heads have gone on display in the historic courtyard of Somerset House in London , the first contemporary sculpture to be featured there. The artist responsible, Ai Weiwei, was the missing element, his wellbeing and whereabouts still unknown after he was detained by Chinese authorities on 3 April. — guardian.co.uk

Ai is a fire and ice personality. The ice is in the impossibly self-confident impresario who has become a hero of the global art world with his elegant appropriations and deconstructions of China’s cultural heritage. — The New Republic

The sculptor called for a worldwide day of action where museums and galleries close for one day in sympathy for the plight of his fellow artist. "Why not?" he asked.

Ai, whose sunflower seeds work in Tate Modern's Turbine Hall closed at the weekend, has been missing for about a month, in the hands of the Chinese authorities. He had not been heard from, nor charged with any offence. — The Guardian

Barack Obama's administration has criticised China over its crackdown on dissidents in a week that has seen the passing of a legal deadline to charge or free the detained artist Ai Weiwei. — The Independent

Life has become significantly more political in the new millennium, especially in the aftermath of worldwide financial crisis. Art is both driving and documenting this upheaval. Increasingly, new visual concepts and commentaries are being used to represent and communicate emotionally charged topics, thereby bringing them onto local political and social agendas in a way far more powerful than words alone. — Gestalten

Gerkan: This idea of only wanting to work for private individuals is absurd. In a country like China, where does private end and where does government-owned begin? Private citizens turn out to be aligned with the government, or a private developer obtains government financing for his building. For architects like us, this is almost impossible to figure out. Many of those who criticize us are building the five-hundredth high-rise building in China and claim to have integrity. This is a fallacy. — Spiegel

Artist's assistants and wife released but his whereabouts not disclosed by Beijing authorities — guardian.co.uk