HomeUploadUpload DirectHotlinkRandomAbouttheme toggle
Expand

Ai Weiwei's Hirshhorn Show Has Everything but the Dissident Artist Himself

Views:894
@ReasonVids

In October, Washington, D.C.'s Hirshhorn Museum opened Ai Weiwei: According to What?, the first major retrospective of works by the Chinese artist in North America. The show has received glowing reviews from art critics and visitors alike. The artist himself might share that view, if he ever gets the chance to see it.

"We had always hoped that he would be here for the opening," explains Kerry Brougher, chief curator at the Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. "Unfortunately, as we were in the middle of working with Ai Weiwei on the exhibition, he was arrested in China and incarcerated for 81 days."

Though Weiwei was released in June of 2011, the Chinese government's refusal to return his passport makes it unlikely that he will be allowed to visit his landmark show - the latest move in a series of conflicts between the artist and the state.

Whether chastising the 2008 Beijing Olympics as a "fake smile" to the world, detailing the deadly results of shoddy school construction after the Sichuan earthquake, or meticulously documenting the increasingly aggressive police measures used against him, the encounters between Weiwei and the Communist government seem to be in a constant state of escalation.

Weiwei's reputation has arguably grown larger despite - or because of - the Chinese government's attempts to rein him in. Without the benefit of a passport, Weiwei has increasingly turned to the internet to engage the wider world. He has found a receptive audience waiting for him.

As Alison Klayman, director of the the critically acclaimed documentary Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, tells it, "I think, for Weiwei, the one source for optimism does come from new technology and the Internet. It's the idea that people can express themselves, be connected, see things outside their own context - both within China and globally."

"There is a blurring of his internet activity and his art." says the Hirshorn's Brougher. "There is no direct dividing line between the sculptures that are in this gallery and what happens when he actually sends things out to the thousands of people that are following him."

Ai Weiwei: According to What? will remain in D.C. until the end of February, at which point the show is scheduled to move to Indianapolis, Toronto, Miami, and eventually New York. There is, as yet, no word whether the artist himself might be as free to travel.

Shot, edited, and produced by Meredith Bragg. Narrated by Nick Gillespie.

About 5:45 minutes.

Visit http://reason.com/reasontv/2013/01/30/ai-weiwei-at-the-hirshhorn-art-without-t for full text with links, downloadable versions, and more videos. Subscribe to Reason TV's YouTube Channel to receive automatic updates when new material goes live.

reason
,
reason.com
,
reason.tv
,
reason tv
,
reason.org
,
reason foundation
,
reason magazine
,
ai weiwei
,
hirshhorn
,
smithsonian
,
art
,
china
,
birds nest stadium
,
2008 olympics
,
chinese earthquake
,
chinese government
,
alison klayman
,
ai weiwei: never sorry
,
ai weiwei: so sorry
,
documentary
,
art gallery
,
exhibition
,
chinese art
,
chinese artist
,
communism
,
communist
,
libertarian
,
free speech
,
internet
,
ai weiwei twitter
,
kerry brougher
    Thumbnail for Prison for Smokers, Permits for Strippers! (Nanny of the Month, Jan '13)1:08
    Prison for Smokers, Permits for Strippers! (Nanny of the Month, Jan '13)
    ReasonVids
    914 views
    Thumbnail for Badass Danish Girl (1969)0:35
    Badass Danish Girl (1969)
    bestofnab
    1854 views
    Thumbnail for Example of jews controlling the narrative on the pro-Palestinian side; use their suffering and death by the hands of the jews to perpetuate the victimhood status of the jews by comparing it to the holocaust myth. 0:30
    Example of jews controlling the narrative on the pro-Palestinian side; use their suffering and death by the hands of the jews to perpetuate the victimhood status of the jews by comparing it to the holocaust myth.
    bestofupgoat
    520 views
    Thumbnail for Toronto chinkoress mayor taking time out of her day to tell us0:57
    Toronto chinkoress mayor taking time out of her day to tell us
    bestofupgoat
    71 views
    Thumbnail for The Juggalos March on Washington5:13
    The Juggalos March on Washington
    ReasonVids
    979 views
    Thumbnail for Meanwhile in Communist Melbourne a man with a hammer knocks down a security CBD camera!0:42
    Meanwhile in Communist Melbourne a man with a hammer knocks down a security CBD camera!
    AOUisgay
    554 views
    Thumbnail for The Holohoax0:47
    The Holohoax
    AOUisgay
    547 views
    Thumbnail for The CPAC Foreign Policy Split: Old Hawks and Young Doves3:34
    The CPAC Foreign Policy Split: Old Hawks and Young Doves
    ReasonVids
    906 views
    Thumbnail for Where are the Jobs? The Parallels between Today and the Great Depression6:41
    Where are the Jobs? The Parallels between Today and the Great Depression
    ReasonVids
    1005 views
    Thumbnail for trumpstein officially converted years ago3:52
    trumpstein officially converted years ago
    bestofupgoat
    79 views
    Thumbnail for Liberals: lightening never strikes the same place twice. Lightening:0:21
    Liberals: lightening never strikes the same place twice. Lightening:
    bestofsaidit
    790 views
    Thumbnail for Europa - The Last Battle [6/10]59:41
    Europa - The Last Battle [6/10]
    godiswhite
    1398 views
    Thumbnail for The Case For Back-Room Deals, Party Hacks & Unlimited Money in Politics17:54
    The Case For Back-Room Deals, Party Hacks & Unlimited Money in Politics
    ReasonVids
    1011 views
    Thumbnail for Countdown to Disappointment: Don't expect the new Congress to cut spending1:22
    Countdown to Disappointment: Don't expect the new Congress to cut spending
    ReasonVids
    879 views
    Thumbnail for 13 Non-Pedophile Reasons You Can Hate Roy Moore4:50
    13 Non-Pedophile Reasons You Can Hate Roy Moore
    ReasonVids
    977 views
    Thumbnail for There's only one thing to stop us from looting - gimme dem reparashuns ...0:24
    There's only one thing to stop us from looting - gimme dem reparashuns ...
    bestofvoatxyz
    595 views
    Thumbnail for Moonshine: The American Rebel Spirit7:40
    Moonshine: The American Rebel Spirit
    ReasonVids
    1026 views
    Thumbnail for Is South by Southwest Too Popular for Startups?4:28
    Is South by Southwest Too Popular for Startups?
    ReasonVids
    995 views
    Thumbnail for Sweden's March Towards Capitalism: Economist Andreas Bergh on the "Capitalist Welfare State"9:02
    Sweden's March Towards Capitalism: Economist Andreas Bergh on the "Capitalist Welfare State"
    ReasonVids
    975 views
    Thumbnail for Author and Filmmaker J. Neil Schulman Discusses His Work5:57
    Author and Filmmaker J. Neil Schulman Discusses His Work
    ReasonVids
    843 views
    Thumbnail for ObamaCare and Mission Creep: Why health care reform will end up covering much more than you think.3:05
    ObamaCare and Mission Creep: Why health care reform will end up covering much more than you think.
    ReasonVids
    843 views
    Thumbnail for Glenn Greenwald's Plan to Poke, Prod, and Piss Off the Powerful42:02
    Glenn Greenwald's Plan to Poke, Prod, and Piss Off the Powerful
    ReasonVids
    900 views
    Thumbnail for Remy: The Longest Time (TSA Billy Joel Parody)2:32
    Remy: The Longest Time (TSA Billy Joel Parody)
    ReasonVids
    992 views
    Thumbnail for School Board Member Storms Out Of Meeting After Parent Shows Picture Of Her Without A Mask | TheDC Shorts3:07
    School Board Member Storms Out Of Meeting After Parent Shows Picture Of Her Without A Mask | TheDC Shorts
    invidious
    476 views
    Thumbnail for #にじさんじ研究者組、廃病院へ行く。新作の探索ホラゲやるぞ!!!【UNDERWARD┃にじさんじ/アンジュ・カトリーナ視点/レオス・ヴィンセント/葉加瀬冬雪/甲斐田晴】 | アンジュ・カトリーナ - Ange Katrina -2:20:22
    #にじさんじ研究者組、廃病院へ行く。新作の探索ホラゲやるぞ!!!【UNDERWARD┃にじさんじ/アンジュ・カトリーナ視点/レオス・ヴィンセント/葉加瀬冬雪/甲斐田晴】 | アンジュ・カトリーナ - Ange Katrina -
    invidious
    107 views

points

Permalink
Reply
reason
,
reason.com
,
reason.tv
,
reason tv
,
reason.org
,
reason foundation
,
reason magazine
,
ai weiwei
,
hirshhorn
,
smithsonian
,
art
,
china
,
birds nest stadium
,
2008 olympics
,
chinese earthquake
,
chinese government
,
alison klayman
,
ai weiwei: never sorry
,
ai weiwei: so sorry
,
documentary
,
art gallery
,
exhibition
,
chinese art
,
chinese artist
,
communism
,
communist
,
libertarian
,
free speech
,
internet
,
ai weiwei twitter
,
kerry brougher
TOS  •  Add Keywords  •  Donate  •   Analytics  •   DMCA  •   Puzzle