He believes that the Chinese government emphasizes having the best interest of their citizens, and Weiwei’s activism questions whether that commitment holds true. “Dissidents in countries with as much control as China often inevitably find themselves catering to an outside audience,” Macdonald said. Weiwei connects with the West not only as an audience, but also as he engages with their political and social issues. Han Zhao, a UF history major, grew up in China but only learned about Weiwei when he moved to the U.S. Weiwei’s activism makes him a controversial figure in China, so his website and social media platforms
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He explained that people have a tendency to assume or exaggerate the extent Non-Western cultures are looking to the West for inspiration in modern and contemporary art. As the diversity of men and women featured in the portraits and sounds of “@Large” illustrate, dissidence has been a theme throughout history and across cultures. It is a language everyone speaks. Weiwei is particularly adept at speaking this language, in no small part due to his family background and childhood. His father was the famous poet Ai Qing, who, like Weiwei, was celebrated by the government for his art before being severely reprimanded for the direction his work took. Their family was sent to a labor camp when Weiwei was 1 year old as part of the Cultural Revolution’s persecution of artists and intellectuals. As a young child, he saw his father humiliated and physically beaten. His father even became suicidal. Though China has come
Dissidents in countries with as much control as China often inevitably find themselves catering to an outside audience.
are banned from being accessed in China. Zhao now follows Weiwei on Twitter and thinks that Weiwei’s challenge toward his government’s practices is especially important. Although his messages are often censored, Zhao believes WeiWei can still show the rest of the world a different side of China.
a long way from the Cultural Revolution, criticism of the government is often still a criminal and dangerous endeavor, and many high profile critics have been silenced. As he continues to fuel conversation about contemporary issues, both Chinese and global, Weiwei has shown the world that he feels it is his responsibility as an artist is to do more than produce objects for aesthetic appreciation. Weiwei has proven that his voice will not be an easy one to stop.
Macdonald echoed Zhao’s sentiment that Westerners have a shallow understanding of China.
He has very little involvement in the actual production of his works. Instead, workers actualize his concepts.
He is a heavy metal musician.
He had never used a computer before 2005, But from 2006 to 2009, he maintained a blog in which he heavily criticized the Chinese government.
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