The exhibition ‘Ai Weiwei: Making Sense’ has recently opened at the Design Museum, looking at the work of the highly significant and influential Chinese artist and activist with a new perspective - through the lens of design. To coincide with this exhibition, which is Weiwei’s largest show in the UK since 2015, we will explore the artist's ability to address sensitive issues with elegance and fearlessness.
‘If my art has nothing to do with people's pain and sorrow, what is 'art' for?'
Ai Weiwei’s prolific, creative, and daring artistic output has made him one of the world’s most famous artists. Simultaneously artist and activist, Weiwei explores Chinese history and identity, tackling human rights violations across disciplines with the same sense of fearlessness and creativity, from installations to sculpture, photography, and film. By creating works that are unapologetically political, Weiwei has expanded preconceptions of what can be defined as art, bringing together the visual and the social.
Weiwei has said that he was ‘born radical’, it was not something he became, as he grew up in a family from the cultural avant-garde. Under the Communist government, Weiwei’s father, an artist and activist, was exiled from Beijing, forcing the family to live in harsh confinement away from the city for 20 years.
Since 1995, Weiwei has depicted his hand making an obscene gesture. In the ‘Study of Perspective’ photographic series, Weiwei expresses disdain for state power by giving important and iconic buildings, monuments, and landmarks the middle finger. The series features institutions from across the world, from the first image of Tiananmen Square in Beijing to The White House and the Eiffel Tower. Weiwei turns the traditional tourist photograph on its head, focusing on his own hand rather than the significant landmark and subsequently illustrating the need for self-expression and freedom of speech and questioning the adherence and acceptance of state powers.
Whilst making his pieces aesthetically pleasing is not Weiwei’s priority, they are playfully alluring and draw the viewer in. On a closer look, the artwork’s message is revealed and they are confronted with important concepts. At the risk of his own freedom, Weiwei continually proves himself as a political powerhouse and a force to be reckoned with.
