HUFFINGTON
09.30.12
THE DISRUPTOR
generally, the verdict on Ai is
harder to gauge. According to
Wang Zhongxia, who works at
Ai’s studio and has an active
presence on Twitter, the reason
is because his name is banned
from TV, internet and newspapers, and citizens don’t have
the opportunity to discuss him
freely. Chinese journalist and
netizen Michael Anti classifies
public opinion on Ai more simply: “Before loving Ai Weiwei,
you need to be a freedom lover,”
he wrote over email. “That’s why
not everyone loves him.”
Wang and Anti both agree: In
the company of China’s young
Twitter community (members
sidestep the censors to access the
social network), he is adored.
Their adoration is tied more to
his politically frank tweets than
his artistic work. “I think I’ve
never been very creative, really.
I’m not just saying that, I really
feel so — I think the most successful part of my life is my communication,” Ai declares. “I often
forget I’m an artist. I feel sorry
about it, but if only certain kinds
of my activities can be called art,
then I’m not an artist,” implying
that more activities should really
be allowed to be called art.
These activities invite a slew of
labels (artist, architect, journalist,
documentarian, activist, blogger,
photographer), a few sub-labels
(celebrity artist, dissident artist,
cultural critic) and some of the
criticisms weighed against him.
He cannot truly be any one of
those things, detractors in China’s
art world argue. The Telegraph’s
Alastair Smart questioned whether his art can stand alone, or if
it’s overwhelmed by his celebrity.
“Weiwei’s life has become a work
of art in its own right... certainly,
his constant swipes at the government felt, at times, like a prolonged performance piece.”
His artistic supporters counter, while his politics may have
given the public a larger awareness of him, he remains an artist,
first and foremost. “Ai Weiwei
has reached a level of world attention for reasons he did not
seek, but he has used this attention both nimbly and powerfully
to communicate his ideas,” Greg
Hilty, curatorial director of Lisson Gallery, which displays Ai’s
work, told Huffington. “I do not
believe his words would be as
potent, or his gestures as full of
impact, if they were not part of
his unique voice as an artist.” Uli