Following yesterday's news of Graffiti Research Lab founder James Powderly being detained in Beijing, came news of five other American artists being held for a similar reason. The pro-Tibet activists held a banner with the words “Free Tibet” written in bright blue LED throwies in both English and Chinese. The peaceful protest took place in Beijing’s Olympic Park, and within 20 seconds the five were being detained.
A rep for the Students for a Free Tibet, who organized the protests, told The NY Times: “We’re always worried when someone is in Chinese detention.” A source close to Powderly tells us there is no new information on his whereabouts; likewise, no one seems to know where these five artists are being held. One of them, 24-year-old Samantha Corbin, is from Brooklyn (by way of the Bronx).
