Ai WeiWei has a very inspiring energy, not specifically within the art that he creates but more so in the expression of said pieces and how his voice and concerns for his community strongly come through within his pieces. I’m usually one to talk about extremely popular artists in a negative light but its really hard to do so with Ai WeiWei. Though his methodology may seem a bit aggressive at times it is easy to see his efforts painted with a subtle optimism for change. His quote “I think there is a responsibility for any artist to protect freedom of expression.” to me is, in essence, what the whole documentary “Never Sorry” is about. Not only are we introduced to an extremely expressive individual we see him strongly opposed to behaviors of the Chinese government. Though not all of us come from China we can still relate to some of the oppressive behavior often dictated within the power structures of our dominant cultures. In many ways art is meant as a beginning to a discussion and often can be used as a tool for different things. Ai WeiWei masterfully mixes the evocative nature of art with his own personal activism.
(Its also interesting to see an artist who utilizes many craftsman as helpers for his art, you don’t often see or hear collaborative processes from behind the scenes)
