Ai Weiwei Uses 'Gangnam Style' Spoof To Criticise Government

Ai Weiwei Uses 'Gangnam Style' Spoof To Criticise Government

Chinese artist, Ai Weiweu has capitalized on the success of the Gangnam Style craze created by rapper Psy to create a spoof, and in doing so, criticize the level of censorship enforced by the Chinese government, The New York Daily News Reports. 

In a video uploaded to YouTube on Wednesday, Ai's "Grass-Mud Horse Style" riffs off an Internet meme that pokes fun and criticizes online censorship in China. Ai's clip features him imitating the popular dance moves made famous by South Korean rapper Psy in the original "Gangnam Style" video, which has more than 530 million views on YouTube and sits at No. 2 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. Ai cuts a controversial figure in his native China, where he was arrested last year on charges of tax evasion. Although the 55-year-old is barred from leaving China, his outspokenness has earned him an international following and hasn't stopped him from creating sculptures, photos and other installation art, most of which, criticize what he believes to be an oppressive government. 

Another spoof of the dance landed the Royal Thai in a spot of bother, as a senior naval officer mimicked the vid with this uniform on, The Daily Dot reported. Vice Admiral Therathorn Kajitsuwan accepted the blame for the performance, saying, "I admit that in some respects it may not be appropriate, but I insist that we had no intention to insult or make fun of Navy officers in uniform. We only thought about finding an activity that officers and employees would enjoy doing together to bid farewell to our retiring colleagues."