Ai Weiwei

Ai Weiwei was born in 1957, in China. His father is a strong example for him. Ai Weiwei’s father was well known poet, Ai Qing, who was exiled in 1957, which lasted 20 years. Ai Weiwei spent most of his childhood growing up in political exile. After returning to the capital in 1978, Ai Weiwei attended the Beijing Film Academy. He spent 1981-1993 working in New York. He studied at Parsons School of Design, but did not finish his degree. 

Ai Weiwei on the Met rooftop

In 1993, he returned to Beijing. He became involved in the “experimental art scene”. Ai Weiwei started the FAKE Design, a studio for art, architecture and design, in 1999. His work has been shown in New York, Germany, London, and China. He has worked in photography, installation, and other media and projects, including the design of the National Olympic Stadium for Beijing games in 2008. In 2008, Ai Weiwei was also a major activist in the aftermath of the Sichuan Earthquake. The Sichuan Earthquake Names Project was “an effort to record the names of more than 5,000 schoolchildren killed in poorly constructed classrooms.” During his work for this effect, Ai Weiwei was attacked by police. 

As Ai Weiwei’s work grew increasing involved in politics and activism, he also grew to be more of a target of the Chinese government. Under government surveillance, his blog has been monitored and shut down; he has suffered from police brutality; he has been placed on house arrest, he has been denied access at the Beijing airport; and his studio was demolished in Shanghai in January 2011. Through all of this, Ai Weiwei still works in advocating for freedom of expression. 

 Alison Klayman has been working with Ai Weiwei since 2008. She began documenting his artistic process in preparation for exhibitions, interaction with family members, and his “increasingly public clashes with the Chinese government”.  AI WEIWEI: NEVER SORRY is a film documenting Klayman’s interaction with Ai Weiwei and his work. 

http://www.aiweiweifilm.org/en/

Tate exhibition, London. "Sunflower Seeds"

“I have to always, everyday ask myself ‘How long can I last if I’m in extreme conditions, such as jail…the answer I don’t really know.” –Ai Weiwei with Dan Rather Report*

“I don’t think I’m brave, or have any crazy ideas to change the society. But I really want to be myself, just to tell other people you also can do so. To be yourself, to state your mind clearly, and to tell people what is right and what is wrong…because it is impossible to stop freedom…How could you stop it? Unless they put me in jail, then maybe that could stop it.” –Ai Weiwei interview with Dan Rather Report*

“Nobody can stop the course of change.” –Ai Weiwei interview with Dan Rather Report*

* “‘Dan Rather Reports’ will air one of the last television interviews that Ai Weiwei conducted before his detention on Sunday morning at Beijing Capital Airport. The interview airs on HDNet April 5th at 9 pm ET” (From http://www.aiweiweifilm.org/en/news/)

“Even when you’ve spent a lot of time with him, you don’t feel like you completely understand him. You never know what his next step will be.” –Wen Tao, Journalist

After being told to leave his job at Global Times, Wen Tao participated in demonstrations for Ai Weiwei and reported on his case. Wen Tao has been missing since April 3, 2011.

On April 3, 2011, Ai Weiwei was detained by police in a Beijing airport. 

Amnesty International’s response: http://www.amnesty.org/

Chinese authorities have placed heavy focus on activists, lawyers and bloggers, since an online outreach for Chinese “Jasmine Revolution”. These protests are inspired by the people’s movement, starting in February 2011, in the Middle East and North Africa.

The Chinese government has also arrested and mistreated human rights lawyers. Lawyers have been faced with harassment and intimidation. “China is abandoning the rule of law…The government is trying to systematically break the will of the country’s lawyers…It is giving its security forces free rein to pervert the course of justice and deny activists and critics the right to a legal defense,” said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Director for the Asia-Pacific.

“If the authorities are so bold as to grab this world-renowned artist in broad daylight at Beijing airport, it’s frightening to think how they might treat other, lesser known dissidents,” said Donna Guest, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Asia-Pacific.