Voices: Ai Weiwei and Indianapolis In anticipation of the opening of Ai Weiwei: According to What?, we asked four members of the Indianapolis community to provide statements about the artist and the exhibition. Ai Weiwei is a man, an artist, a genius. In an age obsessed with physical perfection, he is a fleshy counterpoint. Subversive, humorous, provocative, and iconoclastic, his words and work are abundant in talent, wit, and power. He came to prominence as much for his actions as his art, and yet it is because of both that he has held the world transfixed. His Bird’s Nest dominated the Beijing Olympics, a rarefied perch from which he unapologetically denounced the nationalistic chauvinism that dominated the games. His easy manner and soft exterior belies an indomitable spirit. He sees, he says, he does. Outspoken—beaten but unbroken—Ai Weiwei stands firmly athwart China and the art world. Indianapolis—be prepared for an international incident.
CHARLIE HYDE IMA Member and Director of Membership, Indianapolis Zoo A tension exists, will always exist, between liberty, which every human requires, and order, upon which every society relies. Governments are charged with, first and foremost, maintaining order. Artists and activists challenge order. Ai Weiwei sees himself as part of this tradition, a necessary participant. “I’ve always believed it is essential for contemporary artists to question established assumptions and challenge beliefs. This has never changed.” American society has tools to calibrate a healthy balance between the competing values of order and the freedom of expression that seeks to upset and reevaluate that order. We haven’t always used those tools, most specifically the First Amendment to the US Constitution, wisely or well. Any government, whether it is in China or Europe or the United States of America, must be reminded and prodded, and reminded and prodded again, that it may not value order at the undue expense of liberty. It is the nature of governments to wobble over that line. It is the nature of artists and other civil libertarians to prod them back into balance.
JANE HENEGAR Executive Director, American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana Ai Weiwei is a paramount example of an artist who holds a mirror up to society and who takes documenting his place and time very seriously. His socio-political artwork can be both polarizing and unifying, and he has become an international cultural icon. His work exemplifies the adage that objects—materials— have meaning and he is adept at using various artistic styles to bring those meanings to the forefront. That the exhibition is being hosted in Indianapolis (a city that in modern times has not been known for being on the forefront of socio-political issues) signals the tide here is changing, due to the significant work of many in our city over the last decade. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. The exhibition is not to be missed.
I first experienced Ai Weiwei’s work in the summer of 2009, while on a study tour in China. It had been one year since the world audience was captivated by China’s opening ceremony at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, which were housed in the Bird’s Nest stadium that he helped to design. In view of the impressive structure, I could appreciate Ai’s artistic mastery. It wasn’t until I became more familiar with his role as an intellectual social commentator that Ai’s art revealed the greater complexities of culture, nationhood, and personhood he aims to represent. Internationally, he is known for experimenting with multiple art forms as media for socio-political commentary, criticism, and activism. In his famous 1995 photography piece, Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn, he symbolizes his personal claim and loyalty to his Chinese identity, all the while challenging China to consider which policies and practices may be ancient and in need of letting go. He employs humor and popular culture to communicate his critique of Internet censorship, as evidenced by his recent October 2012 cover rendition of PSY’s “Gangnam Style” rap video, in which Ai wears handcuffs while performing the signature horse-riding dance move. Pieces like these represent Ai’s western-culture approach to a democratic means of communication in an eastern culture that does not yet embrace free speech. His ability to view and articulate his world from a critical perspective and his willingness to challenge his audience’s thinking are reasons I have come to appreciate Ai’s thoughtful and intentional provocations of art. In addition to the international attention and acclaim he receives, his life and work incite personal interest and relevance for me. As a Chinese American with family in Beijing, the arms-length relationship between China and the United States has never been easy for me to understand or articulate. Like Ai, I am proud of my Chinese identity and heritage, but also recognize the dissonance that exists between the two nations’ political policies and practices. I believe that Ai Weiwei attempts to reveal truths and create bridges of understanding between these two cultural ways of knowing. For that, I await the exhibition Ai Weiwei: According to What? at the IMA with great excitement and anticipation.
MICHELLE C.S. GREENE PhD Candidate, Indiana University, Literacy, Culture, & Language Education
MINDY TAYLOR ROSS Principal, Art Strategies LLC
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