David Gray / REUTERS

Ai Weiwei.

Dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei announced plans on Monday to release a heavy-metal album that he said would "express his opinion" just as he does with his art.

The burly and bearded Ai said 81 days in secretive detention in 2011, which sparked an international outcry, triggered his foray into music.

"When I was arrested, they (his guards) would often ask me to sing songs, but because I wasn't familiar with music, I was embarrassed," Ai, 55, said in a telephone interview. "It helped me pass the time very easily.

"All I could sing was Chinese People's Liberation Army songs," Ai said. "After that I thought: when I'm out, I'd like to do something related to music."

A court in September upheld a $2.4 million fine against Ai for tax evasion, paving the way for jail if he does not pay. Ai maintains the charges were trumped up in retaliation for his criticism of the government.

The world-renowned artist has repeatedly criticized the government for flouting the rule of law and the rights of citizens.

Ai's debut album -- "Divina Commedia", after the poem by Italian poet Dante -- is a reference to the "Ai God" nickname in Chinese that his supporters call him by. "God" in Chinese is "Shen", while "Divina Commedia" in Chinese is "Shen qu."

Two songs are about blind legal activist Chen Guangcheng, whose escape from house arrest last April and subsequent refuge in the U.S. Embassy embarrassed China and led to a diplomatic tussle.

One song on the album is called "Hotel Americana," a dig at the U.S. Embassy for sheltering Chen. Another is "Climbing over the Wall" -- a reference to Chen's scaling of the walls in his village to escape, and Chinese Internet users circumventing the "Great Firewall of China," a colloquial term for China's blocking of websites.

Ai said he was not worried about government persecution for his album, which will be out in about three weeks. But he is gloomy about the prospects of it being sold in China, saying he will distribute the album online "because music is also subject to review" in China.

Ai said his time in the recording studio did not mean that he was moving away from art.

"I think it's all the same," he said. "My art is about expressing opinion and communication."

Ai said he was working on a second album, with pop and rock influences, that he hoped people would sing along with.

"You know, I'm a person that's furthest away from music, I never sing," Ai said. "But you'll be surprised. You'll like it."

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Gregorio Borgia / AP

This combined picture shows Italian sculptor Oliviero Rainaldi's statue of Pope John Paul II before its restoration, left, on Sept. 23, 2011, and at its inauguration after the restoration, in Rome on Nov. 19, 2012.

The Associated Press reports — The city of Rome has inaugurated a revamped statue of Pope John Paul II after the first one was pilloried by the public and the Vatican.

Pope or Mussolini? Statue sparks uproar

Artist Oliviero Rainaldi says he's pleased with the final product, saying it matches his original vision. He blamed foundry workers for a botched assemblage the first time around.

The statue was restored after Rainaldi was pilloried by the Vatican for creating a sculpture of Pope John Paul II that some mockingly said looked more like Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini than the beloved late pontiff. Even the Vatican's own art critic wrote that it looked like a "bomb" had landed. 

Gregorio Borgia / AP

A woman stops to look at the newly unveiled Pope John Paul II statue in Rome on Nov. 19, 2012.

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Reuters

A man covers an art piece by Beijing-based artist Chi Peng with paper after government officials from the cultural bureau deemed it unfit for display before the inauguration of the SH Contemporary Art Fair at the Shanghai Exhibition Center on September 6, 2012.

Reuters

Government officials from the cultural bureau inspect artworks before the inauguration of the fair.

Reuters reports — The pot-bellied official in a tan golf shirt paused in front of a poster-sized image for a few seconds, asked a member of his entourage to make a note of it, then continued to lead the group on its awkward march through the Shanghai Exhibition Center.

A few hours later, the digitally manipulated photo of China's legendary Monkey King facing Tiananmen Gate, by Beijing-based artist Chi Peng, was pulled from the wall, one of several works at the SH Contemporary Art Fair deemed unfit for display by Shanghai's culture police.

"It's especially sensitive this year because the 18th Party Congress will start soon," said a fair organizer after trying to convince another booth to remove a painting that censors didn't like because it appeared to include images of Mao Zedong. Read the full story.

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Reuters

Workers cover an art piece after it was deemed unfit for display. Censorship of political content has long been a feature of the Chinese art world under Communist Party rule, but gallery owners and artists at SH Contemporary were told on Thursday that city officials were being extra careful ahead of a once-a-decade leadership transition set to take place in Beijing next month.

Would you think to match your home-grown painting skills against a classical artist? Probably not, but that's just what a well-intentioned woman in her 80s did recently in Spain.

Centro De Estudios Borjanos via EPA

The picture on the left shows the original work, the one in the middle the pre-renovated fresco and the one on the right shows the damaged painting.

The three photos above tell the tale. The image on the left is the original work, a century-old oil painting of Christ called "Ecce Homo (Behold the Man)" that was painted on a column inside a church near Zaragoza, Spain, by artist Elias Garcia Martinez.

Over the years, the work began to deteriorate, as shown in the second image. According to the Centre de Estudios Borjanos, the unnamed amateur artist (without permission from the church, needless to say) thought she could improve the work and set to work with paints and brushes. The third picture is the result.

The BBC reports that the woman realized her mistake and contacted Juan Maria Ojeda, a city council member in charge of cultural affairs for the area. "I think she had good intentions," Ojeda told the BBC.

A team of art restoration experts is reportedly examining the painting, will quiz the woman on what materials she used in her attempt, and will figure out how best to proceed. 

"If we can't fix it, we will probably cover the wall with a photo of the painting," Ojeda told the BBC.

The BBC Europe correspondent described the painting's current state as resembling "a crayon sketch of a very hairy monkey in an ill-fitting tunic."

While Martinez's work was not considered especially valuable, the BBC reports that the painter's granddaughter had just donated a sum of money to restore the peeling image. Apparently the helpful would-be artist took it upon herself to get involved without knowing that, but if she had just waited, the work would have been fixed properly.

What do you think of the resulting artwork? Do you feel sorry for the woman, or should she have known better? Tell us on Facebook.

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Alaa Al-Marjani / AP

Two men, standing and second from right, are seen with wax figures depicting Shiite clerics at the wax museum in the holy city of Najaf, Iraq, in a picture taken on Feb. 18, 2012 and made available today.

Alaa Al-Marjani / AP

Even before they go on display, the wax figures have become embroiled in controversy.

The Associated Press reports from Najaf, Iraq — An exhibit of wax statues depicting some of Shiite Muslims' most beloved clerics, aimed at paying tribute to this Iraqi holy city's contributions to culture, has been dipped in controversy as some Sunnis decry the figures as heretical.

Even before the exhibit opens, some Sunni Muslims - rarely shy about highlighting their religious differences with Shiites - are denouncing them as a violation of Islamic law. Even some Shiite clerics are a bit leery.

Some Muslim clerics of both sects interpret Islamic law as forbidding most depictions of people and even animals in art or other likenesses. They believe such likenesses could be perceived as false idols and, therefore, taboo. Read the full story.

Alaa Al-Marjani / AP

The exhibit is the brainchild of Sheik Ali Mirza, a Shiite cleric. He says the figures are so lifelike visitors sometimes "raise their hands to salute the statues as if they were alive."

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Mohammad Ismail / Reuters

A graffiti piece by Shamsia Hassani and Qasem Foushanji on a wall in Kabul, March 5, 2012.

Reuters reports from Kabul — Encased in a head-to-toe burqa, the image depicts a distraught woman slumped on a cement stairwell, the work of Afghanistan's first street artists who use graffiti to chronicle violence and oppression.

The female-male duo surreptitiously spray-paint the crumbling and dilapidated walls of buildings in the capital city, abandoned and destroyed during 30 years of war that still rages today.

Talking of her woman on the steps, Shamsia Hassani, 24, said: "She is wondering if she can get up, or if she will fall down. Women in Afghanistan need to be careful with every step they take."

Omar Sobhani / Reuters, file

Shamsia Hassani signs one of her works in Kabul on Dec. 19, 2010. A group of women in burqas rises from the sea to symbolise cleanliness, while further down the factory wall a bus with no wheels and crammed with passengers is a stark comment on war-torn Kabul's appalling public transport.

The somber depictions of Afghan women on Kabul's rutted streets offer rare public insight into their lives, still marred by violence and injustice despite progress in women's rights since the Taliban was toppled over a decade ago.

In an abandoned textile factory, Hassani spray-painted a wall with six willowy figures in sky-blue burqas, who rise out of the ground like ghosts.

"In three decades of war, women have had to carry the greatest burdens on their shoulders," Hassani, who also works in the faculty of fine arts at Kabul University, told Reuters. Read the full story.

Paul White / AP

A technician works as a camera mounted on a mobile robot-like structure moves across Pablo Picasso's 'Guernica' painting at the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid on Feb. 21, 2012.

Paul White / AP

A technician looks at images on a screen as a camera moves across the painting.

Every night after Madrid's Reina Sofia museum shuts its doors, a giant robotic machine is dragged out to resume a painstaking examination of one of the world's most iconic paintings. 

Pablo Picasso's masterpiece "Guernica" is getting a full health check as it marks its 75th anniversary.

The machine — dubbed 'Pablito' — is taking tens of thousands of microscopic shots of the 291-sq. foot painting to allow experts to penetrate the work like never before and see its real condition after a hectic life traveling the globe. 

— Read the full report by The Associated Press.

Felipe Dana / AP

A Dancer of Porto da Pedra samba school parades on a float during carnival celebrations at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Feb. 20, 2012.

Felipe Dana / AP

Dancers of Vila Isabel samba school parade at the Sambadrome on Feb. 20, 2012.

Felipe Dana / AP

A dancer from the Mocidade samba school parades on a float at the Sambadrome on Feb. 20, 2012.

Victor R. Caivano / AP

Revelers, some wearing costumes, cross a bridge as they arrive at the Sambadrome on Feb. 19, 2012.

Nacho Doce / Reuters

Children play as adults watch the Portela samba school parade at the Sambadrome on Feb. 19, 2012.

Silvia Izquierdo / AP

Performers from the Beija Flor samba school parade at the Sambadrome on Feb. 20, 2012.

Thousands of revelers gathered at the Sambadrome Sunday night for the crown jewel of Rio carnival as thirteen samba schools vied for a prize. Their elaborate floats, massive percussion sections and troupes of sequin and feather-clad dancers made their way down the avenue as spectators looked on from the bleachers.

Slideshow: Carnival celebrations

David Mercado / Reuters

From Rio de Janeiro to Venice revelers took to the streets in colorful costumes.

Launch slideshow

On Saturday, a record-breaking 2.2 million people had attended the Cordao da Bola Preta parade, one of the city's oldest carnival street parties, the BBC reports.

The authorities see the five-day event as a crucial test for Rio's new central command center, which the city hopes will be a key to keeping order when it hosts 2014 soccer World Cup matches and the 2016 Olympics.

— The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Victor R. Caivano / AP

A man sleeps on litter-filled stands at the end of the first day of carnival parades at the Sambadrome on Feb. 20, 2012.

Vanessa Carvalho / AFP - Getty Images

A reveler of Camisa Verde e Branco samba school sings and dances during the opening night of parades at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro on Friday night.

Yasuyoshi Chiba / AFP - Getty Images

A reveler of Camisa Verde e Branco samba school waits before participating in the opening night of parades at the Sambadrome.

Vanessa Carvalho / AFP - Getty Images

A float of Camisa Verde e Branco samba school parades at the Sambadrome on Friday night.

Andre Penner / AP

A dancer performs during the Carnival parade on Friday night.

AP reports: The globe's biggest Carnival bash opens Friday, and it promises to be an even bigger blowout this year, with 20 percent more tourists expected than in 2011. Rio officials say they're also better prepared to keep the chaos under some semblance of control, with more portable toilets, traffic guards and paramedics, as well as a new central command center monitoring it all.

Vanessa Carvalho / AFP - Getty Images

Revelers of Camisa Verde e Branco samba school dance on Friday night.

"We want revelers to be conscious that they can party but also care for the city's public spaces," the president of Rio's tourism department, Antonio Figueira de Mello, said in a statement.

About 850,000 tourists are expected during the raucous, five-day free-for-all that kicks off when Rio's mayor hands the key to the city to rotund King Momo, the mythical jester figure who reigns over Carnival.

Andre Penner / AP

Drummers perform during the Carnival parade.

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Graffiti has turned into perhaps the most fertile artistic expression of Egypt's uprising, The Associated Press reports, as street artists duel it out to shift public opinion for or against the ruling military council:

During the regime of Hosni Mubarak, Egypt had almost no graffiti on the walls of its cities. But when the uprising against Mubarak's rule erupted a year ago, there was an explosion of the art.

Taking control of the streets was critical for the thousands of Egyptians who eventually overthrew the country's authoritarian leader. The battle continues to be fought by graffiti artists who support the country's military rulers and those who want them to relinquish power. Read the full story.

Nasser Nasser / AP, file

Two women walk by a mural depicting faces of Egyptians killed before and after the revolution, in Tahrir Square in Cairo on Dec. 20, 2011. The slogans read "No conciliation" and #NOSCAF, referring to the ruling Supreme Council of the Army Forces.

Nariman El-Mofty / AP, file

A girl, left, posts an art piece made by Sad Panda, unseen, on a wall as flower vendors prepare a bouquet outside their shop in Cairo on Jan. 19.

Nasser Nasser / AP

A man walks by a graffiti that reads "Pride and dignity, No SCAF," on a road that leads to Tahrir Square on Jan. 29.

Ahmed Ali / AP, file

Soldiers beat a protester wearing a niqab during clashes near Tahrir Square on Dec. 16, 2011. Graffiti in the background depicts members of the military ruling council and reads "Killer".

Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images

Graffiti written on the walls in Mohammed Mahmoud Street off Tahrir Square on Jan. 26.

To see more examples of Cairo street art, take a look at the suzeeinthecity blog and a map of graffiti locations.

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Manish Swarup / AP

Indian Muslims shout slogans against writer Salman Rushdie after Friday prayers in Jaipur, in the western Indian state of Rajasthan, on Jan. 20, 2012. Rushdie canceled plans to appear at an Indian literature festival Friday after protests from Muslim clerics and warnings that he could be targeted for assassination.

The Associated Press reports from JAIPUR, India:

Booker-Prize winning author Salman Rushdie canceled plans to appear at an Indian literature festival Friday after protests from Muslim clerics and warnings that he could be targeted for assassination.

Rushdie's planned appearance at the Jaipur Literary Festival had reawakened the long dormant controversy over his 1988 book "The Satanic Verses," which some Muslims consider blasphemous. He spent years in hiding after Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini urged he be killed for writing the book, which also was banned in India. Continue reading.

Rushdie, who had appeared at the festival in 2007 without incident, reacted on Twitter:

Very sad not to be at jaipur. I was told bombay mafia don issued weapons to 2 hitmen to "eliminate" me. Will do video link instead. Damn.

Novelist Hari Kunzru, who described Rushdie's absence as "a stain on India's international reputation", tweeted:

About to defy bigots and shoe throwers, reading @SalmanRushdie Satanic Verses on stage with @amitavakumar at #jaipur#jlf 

Prakash Singh / AFP - Getty Images

A visitor reads while sitting on the lawn during the Jaipur Literature Festival on Jan. 20, 2012.