Ai Weiwei

In 1958, when Ai Weiwei was only one year old, his father, acclaimed poet Ai Qing, was denounced as a "rightist" and the family was sent to a labor camp in the far northeastern corner of China. A few years later they were sent to northwestern China where they were exiled throughout the Cultural Revolution until Mao's death in 1976. Living in the shadow of both his father's acclaim and mistreatment, Ai Weiwei spent twelve years in the US studying art and finding himself. He returned to China in 1993 and became a leading artist and political activist. He spent 81 days in detention in 2011, followed by years of house arrest. Once his passport was returned in 2015, he emigrated to Berlin, then London, then Portugal, where he now resides. This is the story of his father and himself.

I found the first third of the book, when Ai Weiwei recounts his father's life, work, and relationship with communism as first a supporter and then victim, interesting. It's told in a series of flashforwards and back, that work well to keep the story moving. The second half of the book, when Ai Weiwei is wandering, trying to find himself and define his art, less so. But the last third, when he describes how his art and politics intersect and his life as a dissident, it picks up again. Because I am unfamiliar with modern art, I struggled at times to understand his philosophy, but I admire his passion and dedication. I was most interested in the historical components, and in this respect, it was helpful to have a background understanding of the times. Recommended for those interested in modern art and dissident movements in China.… (more)