Ai Weiwei

Ai Weiwei, the Chinese artist whose work was mentioned here briefly last week, deserves much more attention than I gave him.  He is the most influential artist in China, and possibly the world, at this moment.

Now 57, he was born in Beijing and banished with his family to a distant province during the Cultural Revolution.  As a young man, he spent 12 years in New York City and returned to China several years after the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests were quashed by a military crackdown. Naturally these experiences influenced his views of his country and of art.

He has championed "artists' efforts to challenge the definition of beauty, goodness, and the will of the times."  Another quote:  "I've always believed it is essential for contemporary artists to question established assumptions and beliefs.  This has never changed."

His work ranges from architecture to porcelain to wood joinery to photography, his reference points from traditional Chinese methods to contemporary exhibitionism to government action.  He mentions the French artist Marcel Duchamp as a major influence.  He has spoken his truth to Chinese power and suffered the consequences more than once.

There are several videos on YouTube that describe Ai, his works and his point of view.  In order, I would recommend

     -- aiweiweidocumentary, a BBC production entitled "Ai Weiwei, Without Fear or Favour,"

     -- a TED talk, "Ai Weiwei detained," of Ai discussing his use of the internet and Twitter to promote change -- freedom, basically -- in China and worldwide.   The talk was taped earlier and, at the time of its broadcast, Ai was imprisoned in China, ostensibly on a charge of tax evasion, and

     -- "Ai Weiwei: Life is in danger every day," Ai answering interview questions without illustrations on the Louisiana Channel.