Nut Brother spent 100 days vacuuming smog from the streets of Beijing and mixed it with clay to form an industrial brick, highlighting the poor air quality. As an activist artist, his work brings awareness to environmental issues in a subtle way to avoid government interference. Unlike Ai Weiwei, who directly criticizes the Chinese government and has faced imprisonment, Nut Brother focuses solely on educating the public through his artworks and philosophical messages. Both artists transform everyday materials into pieces that reflect on important social and political issues in innovative ways.

1. Nut Brother and his
vacuumed dust brick
Article by Jasper Thorley
Politics and artists don’t normally see eye to
eye especially when artist’s work is
controversial to the governments views. Or
when artists become powerful figures and
they begin to be listened to and followed by
the public.
Nut Brother
34-year-old activist-artist Nut Brother spent four hours every day for
100 days out on the streets of Beijing with an industrial battery
powered vacuum cleaner. He decided to start collecting the air when
Beijing’s fog reached its highest readings of hazardous levels of ‘air
pollution’ in 13 months. This is 40 times higher than the levels
deemed safe by the world health organisation. After 100 days of
collecting the smog he mixed it with red clay and the result was an
industrial brick.
The project was extremely timely. Whilst all of this was going on
ironically China’s president, Xi Jinping joined other leaders in
discussing the issues we face with climate change.
(@GreenpeaceEAsia Twitter 01/01/15)
PM2.5 levels hit 975
To put this into perspective London
on a bad day for pollution can reach
around PM2.5 160 which is 6 times
lower than the pollution levels
recorded when that photo was
taken.
Nut Brother’s approach to pollution
and making people more aware of
the situation is more of a
philosophical approach to him.
“The day we exhaust all of the
earth’s resources, we will ourselves
turn into dust” (Brother Nut New York
times interview).
He simply wanted to prove to the
public and have physical evidence
that the air the residents of Beijing
are breathing in is devastating. As
an artist being able to prove this
through physical form it is more
likely to have a bigger impact.
Especially when you form an
industrial brick out of the dust.
Bricks are known to be a very
difficult process in making. The
fumes created in production are
hazardous to health and the amount
of heat and energy needed to
produce a brick are immense.
Overall, not good for the
environment. So knowing that it
almost makes his work have more of
a dramatic impact.
VMC PR1
The Chinese government have been
very protective over political issues so
when artists like Nut Brother rise
there is no surprise that the
government might get involved and
silence him from causing problems
for them. Despite his controversial
views on pollution and actively
walking the streets he has never been
arrested. However, it has still
attracted the media and for the
western public this freedom of
speech is more commonly accepted
meaning we are more likely
(westerners) to respect him as an
artist. You only have to look as far as
cartoons in newspapers and how
much the media in England abuse
politicians in Westminster.
Perhaps the influence the media have
is stronger than we think?
Nut’s work is very subtle as he doesn’t
openly exhibit his work and speak out
as a public figure, so there has been
little interference from government
officials. It has however gained funny
looks and curious police officers
whilst out on the street which is as far
as he wants his work to be considered
right now. It’s the awareness of others
he wants to achieve from this. No
doubt the more the media report on
artist’s views and their freedom of
speech the more likely the
government are to get involved.
Which is what has happened to
another artist with a slightly different
approach to tackling political issues
through artwork. He is an artist called
Ai Weiwei. Weiwei is also from China
and has had more of a political
backlash in recent years due to his
daring and politically charged work
that helps define how we see modern
China today. He in 2011 was named
the most powerful person in the art
world by a poll created by the
ArtReview magazine.
Source: @CEN
So, what is it that makes Ai in western eyes the world’s most
powerful artist? China may eventually become the most powerful
nation in the world, with this rise in prominence there must be
someone to hold up a mirror and highlight China’s failures. Going
back to the point on the influence the media have in all of this. If
you look at how Ai has gained the media’s interest over years of
struggle with government officials because he speaks out about
issues not solved or often covered up. However, in doing this the
media latched on and have made him an icon.
Ai Weiwei believes Beijing is “a prison for freedom of speech”
(Video Interview with The Guardian). As an artist, the sole purpose of
your work is to express your emotion and to have ‘freedom of
speech’ and China has stopped him having any right in expressing
his views. They stopped him travelling abroad for 4 years and he
spent 80 days in prison. In this instance it back fired and this is
because the western world respect his work and the issues he talks
about cannot be ignored.
18 Artists Unite November 2016 November 2016 Artists Unite 19
Nut Brother collecting smog on the streets of Beijing
Source: Peoples Daily Online
“a prison for freedom
of speech”
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2. Unlike Brother Nut, Ai uses a slightly different method in using
more traditional materials and skills that China have used
throughout their history. In one of his more recent pieces
‘Fragments’exhibited at the Smithsonian Gallery in 2013 he used
recovered wood from Qing Dynasty temples and transformed it into
a series of monumental installations.
Looking from the ground the work seems haotic and as if there is
little order to the construction however from above he has
recreated the map of China highlighting the fragility of Chinas
relations with foreign countries. Not only does Weiwei use a raw
material he also uses a traditional form of Chinese joinery, this
joinery doesn’t require nuts and bolts to join the structure together.
The unique ability to transform something that once had another
life is what makes both their work so successful. Brother Nut used
something that wouldn’t be considered a material and transformed
it for another use whilst educating people about the horrific
problems the people of Beijing are facing every day. In doing this
he has in more than one way cleared the air for the public.
Nut Brother
Since Weiwei exhibits his work in galleries and is much more
recognized it leaves the question of whether Nut will reach the
same potential in regards to political pull. Perhaps when Nut
Brother’s plans to put his brick into a building in China he might
cause more of a stir. “let the brick disappear into the concrete
jungle, just like putting a drop of water in the ocean” (Nut Brother
interview Daily Mail). I believe his recognition as a political artist will
solely be dependent how much coverage the media give him and
how much of an impact he’s making on the bad cloud that is cast
over China’s political issues.
Unlike Brother Nut, Ai uses a slightly
different method in using more
traditional materials and skills that
China have used throughout their
history. In one of his more recent
pieces ‘Fragments’exhibited at the
Smithsonian Gallery in 2013 he used
recovered wood from Qing Dynasty
temples and transformed it into a
series of monumental installations.
Looking from the ground the work
seems haotic and as if there is little
order to the construction however
from above he has recreated the
map of China highlighting the
fragility of Chinas relations with
foreign countries. Not only does
Weiwei use a raw material he also
uses a traditional form of Chinese
joinery, this joinery doesn’t require
nuts and bolts to join the structure
together.
The unique ability to transform
something that once had another
life is what makes both their work so
successful. Brother Nut used
something that wouldn’t be
considered a material and
transformed it for another use whilst
educating people about the horrific
problems the people of Beijing are
facing every day. In doing this he
has in more than one way cleared
the air for the public.
Source: @CEN
20 Artists Unite November 2016
Source: Online Vijesti
‘Fragments’-
Smithsonian
Gallery
Source:
asia.si.edu
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