Ai Weiwei

Ai has earned international acclaim for his art and activism, becoming one of the most recognizable artists in the world. In his highly-anticipated memoir, 1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows: A Memoir, released on November 2nd, Ai tells the story of the last century in Chinese history by chronicling his own extraordinary life as well as the legacy of his father.

Through his creative work, Ai is known for calling attention to government corruption and providing chilling commentary on pressing social and political issues. Following the devastating 2008 Sichuan earthquake, which cost the lives of 69,000 people, Ai launched a “citizens investigation” with writer Tan Zuoren. The two believed corrupt government officials were cutting corners by constructing structurally unsound buildings known as “tofu-dreg” projects in reference to the crumbly, brittle pieces left over after making tofu. When an earthquake hit Sichuan, one of these buildings, a schoolhouse, collapsed in a tragedy that cost the lives of over 5,000 students. Haunted by the images of the scattered backpacks and school supplies left in the wake of the disaster and few remnants of their lives left after the disaster, and disgusted by the Chinese state’s all too familiar response of censorship to the tragedy, Ai refused to let the voices of victims’ loved ones go unheard. Ai used 9,000 blue, red, yellow, and green backpacks to cover the facade of the Haus der Kunst art museum in Munich, Germany in commemoration of the victims of the quake in 2009.

Before dedicating his blog to investigating the earthquake, Ai used his online platform to voice sharp criticisms of the state. The blog’s shut down in 2009 was a pivotal moment in Ai’s fight against censorship. Turning to Twitter and other platforms, he embarked on a new and dangerous path as he continued to pursue the truth in the face of state power.

In 2010, Tan Zuoren, Ai’s partner in investigating the tofu-dreg projects was arrested and put on trial on charges of “subverting state power.” Ai Weiwei attempted to testify at his friend’s trial, but was beaten fiercely by state officials. After complaints of head pain, it was discovered that Ai had a cerebral hemorrhage. The trauma of the assault was so severe that Ai would have to undergo emergency brain surgery for wounds that would take years to heal.

Ai’s interactions with the state would only continue to escalate over the years and in 2010, after hearing his newly built studio in Shanghai would be demolished by the local government, Ai planned to throw a party on the site in protest. State police then put him under house arrest to prevent the event. Needless to say, the party was held despite his absence, but the studio was demolished the following year.

“I was in jail 81 days, but after 20 days my brain became completely empty; you need information to stay alive. When there’s no information you’re already dead. It’s a very, very strong test — I think more severe than any physical punishment.”

In 1989, Chinese civil society was forever altered when students gathered in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on June 4, calling for greater democracy, freedom of the press, and freedom of speech. As crowds of almost a million thronged the square troops armed with assault rifles fired at the demonstrators killing hundreds and injuring thousands more. News of the Tiananmen Square Massacre sent shockwaves through the world and fear of further violent military action smothered almost all civil disobedience. Artists, creatives, and other revolutionaries were, however, undeterred, going underground and forming a movement. This community of dissidents became a home for Ai Weiwei upon his return to China from the United States in 1993, where he studied for two years with a handful of other Chinese students.

Since the tragedy at Tiananmen Square, Ai has produced numerous works criticizing the Chinese authoritarian state and has solidified his position as one of the most influential and controversial figures in China. Looking at some of his most well-known pieces including Study of Perspectiven, Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn, Sunflower Seeds, and, of course, Remembering, Ai’s commitment to social justice is clear. The underlying theme of a need for transparency also emanates from each of his pieces and underlines Ai’s belief that “if a nation cannot face its past, it has no future.”

Despite his international acclaim, Ai remains a target of the Chinese Commuist Party’s harassment. While traveling to Hong Kong in 2011, Ai was detained by Chinese authorities at the Beijing airport on unfounded accusations of tax evasion. Labeled as a “deviant” and a “plagiarist” by Chinese state media, Ai’s arrest sent a message to the international community: nobody is “untouchable or off limits” to the Chinese authoritarian regime, no matter how well-known. For nearly three months, individuals, organizations and governments around the world protested the unlawful detainment. He was eventually released on bail after a period of 81 days, during which time he endured what his sister described as psychological torture. Under constant surveillance in a continually lit cell, two guards stood close to Ai at all times, watching him even as he slept. Still, even after his release, Ai was not permitted to leave his home in Beijing for another year, and his passport was only returned four years later.

In 2014, Ai created an exhibition based on his reflections on incarceration, entitled @Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz. In addition to filling the notorious California prison’s halls with brightly colored dragons and other traditional Chinese imagery, the artists encouraged individuals to send “postcards to prisoners of conscience around the world […] to let them know they [were] not forgotten.”