China dissident artist to release rock album

BEIJING (AFP) ― Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei, whose oeuvre already spans genres from film to architecture, is taking on a new medium with plans for a hard rock album, he told AFP on Tuesday.

Ai’s avant-garde works, which also include visual arts and sculpture, have been exhibited around the world, but he admitted his musical limitations.

He was not a long-standing hard rock fan and had no favorite bands, he said.

“My favorite band will be myself,” he added. “I don’t play instruments, I sing and I wrote the songs. It’s about my condition and China’s condition.”

The music, composed by a friend, is in the final stage of mixing, while videos are also being produced.