Famous Chinese monk, Li Wei,  is rising to new heights.

The Chinese monk suspended himself in the air by wires to perform this illusion. He then shot red smoke out of his shoes to create the effect of flying.

And as these dizzying pictures show, he has a real taste for gravity-defying stunts.

The pictures were taken over the Fontaine of Lyons at La Villette in Paris.

Born in Beijing his work is a mix of performance art and photography that creates illusions of a sometimes dangerous reality.

“My work and artistic experience are characterised by a unique specificity and particularity,” the 37-year-old artist from Beijing has said.

My artistic language is universal and deals with themes about contemporary politics and society using symbols understood by everyone in every part of the world.’I am fascinated by the unstable and dangerous sides of art and I hope my works reflect these aspects.’

Wei’s photos, which sell up to $8,000, have depicted him free falling from tall buildings-pictures that resemble the famous photograph of the French artist Yves Kline hurtling out a window.

The artist loves the reaction that his work evokes from people who pass it on the street.

He added: ‘The first reaction is astonishment. Some people think they are full of sense of humour. They are curious about how I did this.

‘Sometimes I am in real danger – I have to hang myself high with steel wires and people do get a little worried for me – but I am fine.’

Li Wei sees his art as both a mission to set the scene for the perfect photograph and a perfect performance.

Matt Blake
Daily Mail 

NEW YORK – In the midst of a raging blizzard, New York held its premier art fair!

The Bloomberg administration highlighted its snow removal renaissance in the midst of the third major storm to blanket the City in weeks.  “Roads are clear, the infrastructure is running smoothly, and people are bustling about with energy and confidence,” said Mayor Bloomberg, last night.  “And I’m told that exactly the same conditions are present right now in New York City.”

Despite blizzard conditions, tens of thousands of contemporary art lovers have been flocking each day to the inaugural VIP Art Fair  www.vipartfair.com that opened Saturday morning and continues through Sunday, January 30th.  Collectors from New York and around the world have converged to view works by leading names in contemporary art including Damien Hirst, Richard Prince, Andy Warhol, Yayoi Kusma, Gerhard Richter, Banksy, Richard Serra and Matthew Barney.

Works range in price from a few thousand dollars to well into the millions for more established artists and iconic pieces.  In aggregate, the works on display have an estimated street value in excess of $226 million.”

Scott Butterman, a Brooklyn based collector of neo feminist minimalist abstract Dutch genre landscapes, gushed about the energy around the fair.  He has been eagerly awaiting the 137 exhibitors for the past three months.  “The organizing concept of the VIP Art fair was to break down the physical and societal walls of the art world and conventional art fairs – to create a much more inviting, inclusive and comfortable experience.  They have delivered that in spades.”

Only halfway through its run, multiple sales records have already been achieved, with very strong feedback from participating galleries, collectors and the media.

The Internet has also been abuzz with praise about “home-like” feeling visitors experience as they tour from booth to booth – as if the viewer were ‘lounging in their pajamas’ in the ‘privacy of their own home’ or office.  As with any paradigm-shifting enterprise, there were a few isolated, petty critiques from a few fussy art collectors.  A few blog posts reported delays in entering the fair, as well as rumors of a few VIPs who, having misplaced their ‘meds,’ threw ‘hissies’ over a slower than anticipated pace of navigating the fair as a result of the far larger than anticipated attendance.

“We built it, it snowed, and they still came – in hordes, exceeding our wildest dreams and validating the VIP Art Fair concept.  You will read about this for years to come; and we’ll be back next year to do it all over again,” commented director of infrastructure, Emile Jonasjonasenson.  “And in a social realm where your biggest nightmare is not making the list for Anselm’s latest suite of sculpture, we expect our small growing pains to draw collector ire,” he added.

But with all the laudatory feelings, some remained nonplussed:  Manual Pagales, a New York livery cab driver, said, “It’s a big bust for me – my new snow tires have not gotten even one fare to the VIP fair.  And Neil Kay, front desk manager at the Milford Plaza Hotel, stated, “We set aside 50 rooms for this fair but got a big goose egg.  For me, VIP means ‘Virtually Impossible to Perceive.’”

“Perhaps it’s because the VIP Art Fair exists only online?” posits WWN investigative reporter, Roxie Cunningham.  Inquiring minds need to know.

CAMBRIDGE, MA – The shocking photo obtained by Weekly World News reporter Hideaki Tailor reveals that Obama revealed himself during his time at Harvard Law School.

In order to pay his way though Harvard Law, Barack Obama posed nude for several sessions of a figural drawing class.

Why had this been a secret for so long? Retired sculptor and art professor Lorraine Feinbaum explained, “Back then he only went by the nickname, ‘Stallion,’ as he was quite fit but slender.

“I was watching the debates the other night and thought Obama looked familiar. I dug through my old photographs and found this picture, and then I just put two and two together!”

The nude revelation in the middle of campaign is causing heart palpitations on either side of the aisle. Republicans are concerned he would take his clothes off for money, while Democrats have supported his decision.

“As the child of a working-class family, he did what he needed to do in order to get his first-class education,” explained Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives.