Ai Weiwei withdraws works in Denmark due to immigration law

The artist made the statement regarding his exhibition at Copenhagen’s Faurschou Foundation, “Ruptures”, on his Instagram account. Larry is our main news editor. The exhibition, titled Ruptures, opened in March 2015 and due to run until April 15.

Denmark’s ruling Liberal Party said the asset-seizing provision – which mirrors similar laws in Switzerland and Germany – was created to ensure that asylum seekers contributed to the costs incurred by the welfare state in meeting their needs. This is not so much about which country does more or less for refugees, it is the symbolic importance of the new law.

The Danish collector and owner of the foundation, Jens Faurschou, is said to support the artist’s decision.

“He told me he spent all night reading the news about Denmark”, Faurschou said.

Denmark’s parliament on Tuesday adopted reforms aimed at dissuading migrants from seeking asylum by delaying family reunifications and allowing authorities to confiscate migrants’ valuables.

The bill, presented by the right-wing minority government of Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, was approved by a huge majority of 81 of the 109 MPs present, as members of the opposition Social Democrats backed the measures.

After a storm of criticism, the government more than tripled the original cash limit of 3,000 kroner (€402), and exempted from seizure items of sentimental value, such as wedding rings.

It has provoked worldwide outrage, with many rights activists blasting the delay for family reunifications as a breach of global conventions.

Some have compared the Danish policy to the confiscation of gold and other valuables belonging to Jews by the Nazis during the Holocaust period. Now the artist, who is working on a memorial on the Greek island of Lesbos-a major point of entry for migrants attempting to enter the European Union-is using his art to challenge a controversial new regulation for asylum seekers in Denmark. “We’ve introduced several pieces of legislation to keep the amount of asylum at a manageable level”, Marcus Knuth, Venstre’s spokesman on immigration issues, said.