Ai Weiwei: A Man With Many Hats

Teaching university. It’s what many active well-known people do after they have led a life a service. And that’s just what Ai Weiwei is doing in Berlin. Except, his life of service is not over. Just last August 2015, Ai Weiwei arrived to Berlin to be reunited with his partner and son, after Germany granted him a four-year multiple entry visa, due to the political mistreatment that he received in his native China.

I was taken by his humility. He comes off as if he doesn't think too highly of himself, but he does have strong views about a few things. He's busy, yes, with a lot of art, filming, and activism projects going on around the world that he can't give you a lot of his time. But, if you're with him, he does give you a sliver of his time. He's calm, relaxed, focused, and multi-talented as he has a plethora of followers who admire his interests- especially his human rights activism. He's engaging by the things that he says and what he stands for. When he has a second for himself, you'll find him plugged into his phone as he mentioned, "I do most of my work online in front of a computer all day."

A man of many talents, Ai Weiwei is an avid social media user, human rights activist, filmmaker, artist, sculptor, and photographer. Born in 1957, a turbulent time in China's history, Ai Weiwei's family would know rejection by the tough Chinese Communist government. His father, Ai Qing, was a poet, and he experienced persecution by the Chinese government.  It was during the time of Mao Zedong’s ideas of a classless society, where certain groups of people were silenced and heavily controlled through a cult of personality. 

Ai Qing, was a revolutionary poet that was ousted after writing a poem with subtle themes about discrimination. It was seen as counterrevolutionary and therefore, Ai Qing’s title was taken away, and he and his family were sent to a remote area of China on the edge of the Gobi desert. The Ai family was ousted, blacklisted, and rejected. Ai Weiwei was shaped by his father’s story and his family’s situation. But it was during his rearing in this remote part of China that Ai Weiwei learned to use his hands, which was the catalyst of that birthed his ability to sculpt and design things.

Ai Weiwei lived in New York in the late 80s, as he wanted to experience living in the United States and American democracy, but three years after his stint in the New York, he returned to China when university students began protesting the government. During this time thousands of Chinese people were killed by the government.

I asked him about his time in New York City: "New York is a nice city to live for a young single man," he stated. "There's lots of things to do and get involved in." 

In 2009 he was badly beaten by security officials in China, to which he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, and in which he had to receive brain surgery in Germany.

And in 2011, he was detained for 81 days in China, where authorities put him under house arrest and confiscated his passport. After 4 years without a passport, Ai Weiwei was able to get it back and he then moved to Germany to join his family.

When asked why he chose to live in Berlin by a 5th grade student, he said "Berlin is quite affordable, my family is here, it's central to other parts of Europe, and I can work from here."

These days, in addition to his many many art projects and teaching, you'll find Ai Weiwei spending time with refugees around Europe, who are trying to find a home here. His studio is full of photos and information about helping refugees coming to Europe. You'll find him on the shores of Greece photographing, filming, and talking to asylum seekers- children, women, and men- as boats are still pouring in from Syria, full of frozen people who braved the icy waters. "Refugees are people too, and rich countries of the world, countries in Europe have a responsibility to help these people," Ai Weiwei retorted to me. 

After getting the opportunity to meet Ai Weiwei, I happened to be in Paris a few days later and saw his exhibit of monstrous bamboo and paper installations at Le Bon Marché. Monstrous indeed, but at the same time it was breathtaking and unique as I joined many spectators snapping photos.

Ai Weiwei's exhibit at Le Bon Marché in Paris of monstrous bamboo and paper creatures.

If you're in Berlin, there are many places to help with refugees. It is estimated that Germany has taken in over a million refugees to date. The Berliner Stadtmission and Serve the City Berlin has great volunteering opportunities. Find out how in the volunteer section of this website.