The freedom of expression is a fundamental right. It enables individuals to act on their convictions and to dialogue to others about their unique perspectives without fear of repercussions. Therefore, it is important that personal freedom is guarded and cherished. Unfortunately, not everyone has had the privilege to exercise this God-given right. Throughout history, the ruling class in countries like China have attempted to suppress the rights of others to maintain power and control. Despite these attempts, individuals like Ai Weiwei have challenged the social structure through art to expose the corruption of the Chinese government. Primarily, Weiwei’s childhood experiences and fearless political activism significantly influenced his artwork, which calls into attention the limits in personal freedom and corruption in the government sector.
Ai Weiwei’s commitment to personal liberty is profoundly conveyed in his artwork and plays a crucial role in shaping the minds of its viewers. Consequently, Weiwei’s frequent political involvement is seen as a threat to the Chinese government. His critical statements against the Chinese government’s struggle for power and control have resulted in his detainment in the Beijing Capital Airport on April 3, 2011 and discrete imprisonment for 81 days. Not only did Weiwei face harsh repercussions from the government, which resulted in a traumatic brain hemorrhage that nearly cost his life, but the country has also aimed to censor his growing influence from the media. Nevertheless, Weiwei’s unwavering commitment to the freedom of expression through art has positively impacted the lives of many. His actions have demonstrated that art can be utilized to bring awareness to the injustices that people face.
Weiwei’s initial encounter with China’s oppressive tactics occurred during his childhood years. He was the son of Ai Qing, a renowned Chinese poet who wrote critically of the government during the 1930s and 1940s. Due to the accusation that Qing was a rightist in 1958, his family was exiled to live in the province of Heilongjiang, and later in the region of Xinjiang. Weiwei states that the anti-Rightist movement and the Cultural Revolution led to the banishment of 550,000 intellectuals and severely punished those who dared to interfere. The Cultural Revolution, which was led by Communist leader Mao Zedong, resulted in social, economic, and political turmoil. Intellectuals during this period, which included writers, artists, and poets, were sent to the countryside to perform hard manual labor to “learn from the peasants.” During Weiwei’s family’s exile, they were forced to execute laborious farm work while his father was subjected to cleaning toilets for five years in Xinjiang. Ai Weiwei illustrates this experience by stating,
“When my father had to clean those toilets of this village, and people try to shame him –he had to clean about 30 toilets a day… – that’s not just a shame of him, it’s a shame of the whole society because they don’t recognize intellectual value. If artists cannot speak up for human dignity or rights, then who else will do it?”
Minky Worden, an American human rights advocate and author, states,
“Ai Weiwei’s is one of the many Chinese families that still carry with them shocking stories of disrupted education, unhinged careers, and shattered lives. You can see some of that very personal history reflected in his art.”
These harrowing experiences were pivotal for Weiwei’s growing political involvement in challenging the social structure of China. Weiwei admits that the childhood struggles and the persecution he faced from the government has only strengthened his desire to fight for essential rights such as the freedom of expression. He firmly believes that the ability to freely express oneself is “the most precious right.” Due to this belief, he does not regret his current situation and hopes that it will inspire other artists, especially in China, to be fearless in their depiction of social and political issues in their artwork. As Weiwei has stated, “to live life in fear is worse than losing your freedom.”
Weiwei’s fearlessness, attributed to the circumstances he faced under the Communist Party’s regime, is strongly seen in his artwork. It is important to note that his art does not attempt to merely provoke controversy. Rather, it challenges the viewer’s perception of reality. Some of his photographs, such as “Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn” or “The Study of Perspective” in the Fuck Off exhibition contain provocative elements that others have deemed to be inappropriate. These elements, however, require the viewer to consider the artwork’s background and significance.
In particular, the “Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn” is one of Weiwei’s most controversial pieces. In the black-and-white photograph series, which was part of the exhibition Ai Weiwei: According to What, Weiwei is standing in front of a brick wall with his feet planted shoulder-width apart on the stony floor. He holds the antique Han Dynasty ceramic vase in front of him and releases it. The next series of pictures reveal its sudden destruction as it hits the hard floor. In the gallery are sixteen brightly colored vases painted in various shades of blue, green, orange, red, white, and purple in front of the photographs. These collection of vases are known as “Colored Vases,” another piece created by Weiwei. The upper sections of these vases are painted in such a way that illustrates the colors oozing down them—like teardrops ruining a girl’s mascara.
Weiwei’s careful use of color contrasts the symbolic destruction of the antique vase with the other intact vases. The black-and-white color, as seen in the background, helps to accentuate the brightly colored segments in the other sixteen vases. There also seems to be a contrast in the shapes of the photographs with the vases placed in front of them. The photograph series is rectangular in shape with smooth and defined black lines enclosing them. On the other hand, the intact vases in the anterior position possess a curvy and circular three-dimensional form. The contrast of color and shape add to the dynamic quality of Weiwei’s artwork.
Weiwei’s ability to utilize antique forms to create impactful art in a contemporary setting showcases his innovative skills and original thinking. Undoubtedly, the destruction of the vase shocked the public, especially those in China. The ornate vase from the Han dynasty was valued to be roughly one million dollars and was considered a major Chinese antiquity because it was made over 2,000 years ago. This is precisely why Weiwei chose to utilize this object in his artwork because it was perceived to be “sacred, precious, and priceless.” Adam Welch asserts, “In all of his [Weiwei’s] works, destruction is liberation.” This intentional demolition of the Han Dynasty Urn seems to imply the “widespread destruction” of the history of China. The destruction of the highly prized vase directly challenges any attempts to limit personal freedom.
What makes the photograph series even more impactful is the indifference that is seen in Weiwei’s face as the valuable vase smashes to the ground. He does not appear to be slighted by its destruction. Weiwei’s facial expression is key to his illustration of China’s injustice to basic human rights. Karen Smith, an expert in Ai Weiwei’s artworks, states,
“Preserving his cultural heritage or paying homage to the past is not Ai’s goal. The artworks are unapologetically intended to subvert instituted notions of culture and of the role and form of art: to question the value of all, and to unsettle the status quo…”
The artwork’s ability to provoke and challenge the audience’s perspectives is what brings power to Weiwei’s pieces. In the photographs, his indifference does not merely tell a story; it shows it.
Weiwei does not give in to the fear of the Chinese regime. Instead, his emotions are kept to a minimum. The Dynasty Urn represents China and its history. However, it may also represent his childhood, which was marred and broken due to his family’s exile and subjection to hard manual labor under the ruling Communist Party. Although the Dynasty Urn was beautiful in its craftsmanship and possessed immense historical value, it was easily destroyed. This destruction liberated Weiwei from his haunting past. Through this act, he was given the opportunity to speak and express his discontent of China’s current political and social state. Undoubtedly, underneath Weiwei’s cloak of indifference lies inner strength and power.
It is apparent that Weiwei does not care what others may think of him or his art. Weiwei primarily occupies his attention with the subject of his works and their effect on the audience. It is the audience’s response to his pieces that dictates their success.
Not only does Weiwei’s past embolden him to highlight the limitations of personal freedom in his artwork, but he also utilizes his growing influence to expose the corruption of the Chinese government. “For Seven Years She Lived Happily on This Earth” is considered to be one of Weiwei’s most moving pieces. This title was inspired by a mother whose child was unfortunately killed in the Sichuan earthquake. Weiwei comments on the art,
“The idea to use backpacks came from my visit to Sichuan after the earthquake in May 2008. During the earthquake many schools collapsed. Thousands of young students lost their lives…The lives of the students disappeared within the state propaganda, and very soon everybody will forget everything.”
A total of 9,000 backpacks were utilized to create this particular piece. The Chinese characters, translated, “For Seven Years She Lived Happily on This Earth,” are painted with the colors of red, yellow, and green on a blue background. There are fifteen Chinese characters in total. In the middle of the exhibit appears a white star which holds the negative image of the eighth character. The art piece is supported by gray stone columns on the façade of the Haus der Kunst museum in Munich.
The central placement of the white star and the utilization of alternating colors accentuate the work’s balance and symmetry. This symmetry helps highlight the integrity of Weiwei’s message. Moreover, Weiwei incorporates symbolic elements in the piece. For example, the star resembles an individual stretching his or her arms wide open. It appears as though the viewer is invited to participate in this solemn event. The exhibit’s impressive size also gains the attention of those passing by the mural-like artwork, a piece worthy of consideration. However, without being knowledgeable of the artwork’s background and the quote’s translation, one would overlook its impactful message.
Weiwei believed that the deaths of these children could have been avoided. The children died in the schools during the earthquake because “corrupt officials had taken bribes to build schools with unreinforced concrete in an earthquake zone.” What was even more shocking is that the policemen refused to provide the exact death count and the names of the children who were killed. Unfortunately, when parents asked the government why their children died during the quake, they were persecuted. Some of these parents were forcibly detained in prison and provided handouts “in exchange for silence.” It is clear that the Chinese government is attempting to cover up the incident. In a just society, the corrupted officials would have been tried and put behind bars, and the names and ages of the children would have been openly disclosed. Parents would have been comforted and supported by the government, not persecuted by it.
The event influenced Weiwei to conduct an independent investigation to obtain information about the children. The investigation revealed that 5,212 children were killed in the earthquake as a result of the poorly constructed schools. Their names are now printed “across an entire wall of the Beijing studio” to commemorate their lives. When Weiwei was asked if the investigations will continue, he replied,
“As long as I’m alive or as long as the students are missing. It’s very simple: I can afford it, I would love to do it, and I think only by doing do you set up an example for young people.”
The incorporation of certain elements in the piece help to emphasize Weiwei’s message of injustice and governmental corruption. Weiwei’s decision to use backpacks, for example, makes the deaths of these Chinese children more tangible and personal. He emphasizes the countless number of lives lost by the number of backpacks used in the artwork. Additionally, the quote written in Chinese characters, which is the central aspect of the display, was directly derived from a grieving mother in Weiwei’s documentary film. Knowing this, the message suddenly becomes real and relatable. The viewer immediately pictures a seven-year-old Chinese girl who had a bright future ahead of her but was unfortunately killed at a very young age. The display speaks the stories of these Chinese families who suffered the aftermath of the earthquake. It is a reminder that corruption continues to exist in the government sector. Through the artwork, Weiwei becomes the “voice for the voiceless.”
Weiwei became vocal about the incident on his social media. He rallied his online supporters to “pressure the Sichuan government to take responsibility” for what happened. Due to his fearless activism, both in art and technology, people are learning more about the incident and are engaging in social and political discussions. Weiwei’s art will continue to live on and speak about the children’s deaths.
The unexpected popularization of Weiwei’s artworks and candid comments, which openly attacked the integrity of China’s political and social systems, were not taken lightly by the Chinese government. As a result, the government censored his internet account. Sophie Elmhirst asserts that if a person searches for Ai Weiwei’s name in the internet while in China, “nothing appears.” The Chinese media has excluded him from their news reports. The Chengdu police violently confronted Weiwei and seized him from his home. As a result of the confrontation, Weiwei sustained a life-threatening brain hemorrhage and had to undergo emergency surgery.
These experiences compelled Weiwei to create the “Surveillance Camera” to further exploit the Chinese government’s abuse of power. This CCTV-like camera is made up of marble, which is a medium that is widely used for monuments, sculptures, and gravestones. Its edges appear smooth and defined, while the color white saturates the piece. Moreover, its boxy nature is emphasized by the perpendicular orientation of the upper and lower sections. The indentations and sharp turns give a sense of urgency to the piece, which contrast the rounded base supporting the bulky sculpture. The camera is also angled slightly downward, appearing to be fixed on a specific scene.
Weiwei angles the camera in this position to emphasize its gaze and static nature. The white color, a symbol of purity, illustrate the importance of transparency. The contrast of the sharp and defined edges in the upper section to the roundness of the lower section provide balance and control. Additionally, the texture appears smooth to enhance the sculpture’s simplistic nature. Evidently, the focal point is the camera’s front lens.
The “Surveillance Camera” is a testament to Weiwei’s subjection to government control and is a harrow reminder that our fundamental rights and freedom are at stake. Weiwei memorializes the constant surveillance of his public and private life through this apparatus. The use of the marble, which was derived from a quarry near Beijing, serves to pinpoint the responsible party for Weiwei’s attacks. This piece ultimately represents China and the country’s intent to scrutinize, silence, and control. The durable material accentuates the continuity of these practices while the bulky feature represents the government’s reaching influence in the Chinese populace. Yet, the physical abuse and emotional turmoil were not enough to deter Weiwei from his commitment to bring awareness of important issues affecting our daily lives.
Weiwei’s unwavering commitment to social justice is evident through his artwork and is attributed to numerous factors. His childhood experiences contributed to his active engagement in social and political issues and propelled him to expose truth through art. Not only did his controversial “Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn” represented his life’s story and China’s extensive history, but its destruction demonstrated the need to challenge social and political systems. Moreover, Weiwei’s creation of “For Seven Years She Lived Happily on This Earth” brought to light the corruption of the Chinese government. The repercussions Weiwei faced due to his candid remarks of the Chinese regime compelled him to sculpt “Surveillance Camera,” which focused on China’s constant surveillance of his life and the lives of others.
Ultimately, Weiwei’s utilizes art to depict reality, and he does this boldly. This fearlessness, a frequent theme in his works, is used to promote social and political change. Through Weiwei’s art, we are reminded to guard and cherish our freedom, and to challenge those who intend to suppress it.