This man is an inspiration.
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry (watch trailer here) is a documentary that everyone, artist or not, should watch. The film dives into the world of Ai Weiwei who is a Chinese conceptual artist, strong activist, and true hero. The whole point of his controversial work is to “slap people in the face” and to challenge the government on what the people of China should be allowed to see. He fights for human rights and democracy for his people and has a love for his country unlike any other. His art is not about who created it but rather the meaning behind it, which is so much more fulfilling.
His work is real.
He is well known for being active with the Sichuan earthquake that struck China in May 2008. The destruction of this earthquake was horrendous, with 87,000 deaths and 370,000 injuries, according to bbc.com, and it greatly affected the people of China. Weiwei created an art piece that focused specifically on the over 5,000 student deaths. This was a memorial piece but also an act against the authorities who had failed to release this information to the public. He collected and listed information on these students to show the result of faulty construction due to the government’s lack of funding.
He had also shocked authorities when he stood against the Bird’s Nest stadium in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, even though he was an artist consultant for the project. He claimed that although he liked the building, the government was providing too much propaganda within the Olympics in order to hide what was actually going on in China. Some of his other work included things like carelessly painting Neolithic vases, breaking ancient artifacts on purpose, and distorting everyday objects.
Weiwei is extremely important but he is human.
His work is very honest and his over 48,000 followers on Twitter shows that the Chinese community completely agrees. Weiwei dedicated his life to fighting hard against the secretive government and risking his life for his people. He angered the government so much and had several run-ins with the authorities, until he completely disappeared. The government was afraid of his power and detained him for 81 days in 2011.
This was devastating to the people of China and really frightening. It was a realization that even someone as strong and influential as Weiwei can breakdown; he is human. This shows that an individual can most definitely make a difference but they cannot stand by themselves. Weiwei had people who supported him but not all of these people took a stance like Weiwei did, which is what really makes a difference. It can be difficult to fight for one’s values and beliefs because it sparks controversy, which is hard to deal with. However, there are some instances where making enemies is a good thing because it shows that you stood up for something you believed in. I think as people and artists, it is our duty to create life with purpose.
Where is Weiwei today?
After being released from detainment, Weiwei has been unable to leave China but this did not stop him from starting up his work again. There is an exhibition HAPPENING RIGHT NOW in San Francisco, CA called @Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz! The art directly addresses the issue of freedom and focuses on those who have been deprived of the right to speak out about their beliefs, with Ai Weiwei being one of these figures. This is a brilliant man and this seems like a brilliant exhibit. I cannot wait to visit it myself!
SundaySchauers 