At the Royal Academy of Arts in London, artist Ai Weiwei is showing an exhibition until December 18th. But not only will he be showing his artwork, he will be able to be within the walls of the museum. This is the first exhibit of Weiwei’s that he is able to travel to since his detainment in 2011 for 81 days by the Chinese government. His passport was taken since that detainment, and only just recently given back.
Weiwei is an activist, artist, documenter, and more that one would have a difficult time putting a word to. He is best defined by his bravery. “If they want to get me they will, there's nothing we can do about that,” said Weiwei in a conversation with his mother in the documentary Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry.
Weiwei has been an outspoken critic of the Chinese government. In the aftermath of the Sichuan earthquake of 2008, the government has yet to release the name of the over 70,000 people who died; a figure that made up of thousands of children who died due to the poor design of their school buildings. Since Weiwei feels that China has failed its people due to these facts, he sets out to name the children who have passed. The artist was not the only one who speaks and acts out. Another activist named Tan Zuoren was arrested while investigating the Sichuan Earthquake for “inciting subversion of state power” in 2009.
Weiwei traveled to testify at his trial, but in the middle of the night the day before his travel, officers kicked into his room and punched him. They held him in his hotel room. Zuoren got eleven years in Jail, though he got out with only serving five. Weiwei had to get brain surgery for internal bleeding due to the injuries he suffered from the officers. His response was posting pictures of himself holding his middle finger up with his drained fluid in a bag (his signature gesture), and creating a short video of the people saying “(Explicit) you Motherland” in their own languages.
In 2011, the artist arrived at the Beijing Airport to board a flight to Hong Kong. However, he never took the plane to Hong Kong, as he was taken by Government officials. He was held and interrogated for 81 days.
S.A.C.R.E.D, one of his more notable pieces, is a series of six iron boxes with holes to see figures depicting the daily scenes of his of his detainment. The abbreviation stands for Supper, Accusers, Cleansing, Ritual, Entropy, and Doubt. Each term relates to one of the boxes. The supper box depicts two chinese officers standing over Weiwei while he eats, and the rest of the boxes showed what he did daily while under close watch. This is only an example of some of work the activist has done. Others include photos of him dropping an ancient Chinese vase, 38 tons of rebar that had collapsed from the schools of the Sichuan Earthquake assembled into waves, and 886 traditionally made Chinese stools attached together into a huge web-like structure.
But some are critical on whether Weiwei’s art is really as good as many praise it to be. Some say that, though he is a brave activist, he does not make worthwhile art. “How is this art? It looks like the cover of a rap album.” Newtown High School Sophomore Tara Gaiser said on Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn.
Separating the art and the artist is a difficult task for some people. In fact, most people would agree that sometimes it is necessary to know background of the artist, which is certainly the case for S.A.C.R.E.D. or Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn, “If I knew what that vase was I feel like that would have been a very good message, I think it was a very good way to prove that point,” NHS Sophomore Mackenzie Maude said.
But for other artists it is not absolutely crucial to have a background. For example, many people find it hard to appreciate creative Kanye West, because of his controversial nature. But fans find it interesting to compare his life with his music; especially since much of his lyrics are based on what he is experiencing at the time of the lyrics being written.
But Weiwei is somewhat of a different case. Can you separate him from his art when most of his art is about himself and his experiences? Most answer no. But what if Ai was an amazing artist that was less outspoken? Those types of artists exist, and those artists are more popular among the Chinese people then Weiwei. However some people prefer strong, punchy messages to more conceptual work, “There's not really a big message that's being conveyed, which I feel like, in the last one (Straight), there was an idea being expressed or an opinion, but this (Bang) is more, like you said, conceptual, it just is,” Maude said.
But much of the beauty of art is its questioning of the world and of its own observers, and everything is on a case by case basis. No one can say anything for sure, and the mystery of art lives on.