7. 798 Art District Activist, Ai Weiwei's Art of Politics_798 Art District 798 Art District Activist, Ai Weiwei's Art of Politics

798 Art District · Kang Sehee · Chung-Ang University

Introduction

Politics and art have long been inextricably linked. Art transcends mere aesthetic elements to critique society, visualize contemporary issues, and enable viewers to form their own identities. While the social problems art addresses are diverse, political issues are undeniably among them. In China, where the Communist Party holds power, art reveals societal consciousness through various artists. From the Cultural Revolution, a period of government censorship and control, to Deng Xiaoping's reform and opening-up policy, Chinese artists have continuously voiced their perspectives, contributing to the development of contemporary Chinese art. Among these, the 798 Art District in Dashanzi has become a significant historical space, repurposed from state-owned factories built in the 1950s, vividly illustrating the developmental trajectory of a socialist nation and the growth backgrounds of artists across various genres. This report will examine the history of the 798 Art District, which has produced diverse political artworks in defiance of government oppression, and the artistic world of Ai Weiwei, a representative artist of the district. Subsequently, it will explore his inherent political ideology and the contrasting evaluations he receives, ultimately contemplating the future direction of contemporary art at the intersection of participatory art and political action.

History of the 798 Art District and Ai Weiwei

The 798 Art District is a large-scale complex art district located in Dashanzi, northeast Beijing. It is considered a leading cultural and artistic region in contemporary art, attracting over two million tourists annually. Until the 1980s, the 798 Art District was part of a joint factory producing atomic bomb and satellite components. However, due to deepening management difficulties, it shifted to a rental business model. Artists in need of affordable space gathered, forming a cultural and artistic cluster. During Deng Xiaoping's reform and opening-up period, Western liberalism flowed in, merging with Chinese socialist ideology to create a unique coexistence of new values from Eastern and Western cultures. Following the Beijing Olympics, increased capital inflow from both China and foreign countries into the 798 Art District led to rising rents. As galleries and cafes replaced the original studios, the district faced criticism for the erosion of its intrinsic value. Ai Weiwei is currently considered a representative artist of the 798 Art District.

1 Streetscape of the 798 Art District, Chosun Ilbo, Correspondent Park Soo-chan, 2021

Ai Weiwei is a Chinese installation artist, filmmaker, and architect, who is also an activist primarily known for his works that challenge 'authority' suppressing human rights and freedom. From 1981 to 1993, he resided in the United States, engaging in performance art and creating conceptual art by transforming found objects. In 1993, upon returning to China due to the worsening illness of his father, the poet Ai Qing (艾青), he began creating innovative works addressing issues such as the centralized system, Chinese cultural history, iconoclasm, and the negation of modernity. In 2003, he established the architectural firm FAKE Design and served as the art consultant for the design of the Beijing Olympic main stadium, the Bird's Nest (鳥巢). However, from 2008 onwards, he became actively involved in exposing social issues in China, leading to his house arrest by the government in November 2010. His subsequent secret arrest and disappearance triggered a global outcry, with the 'Free Ai Weiwei' hashtag and relay photo uploads spreading on social media. After his release on bail, he left for Germany in July 2015, resided in Berlin, and has been living in the UK since 2019.

Ai Weiwei's core keyword is 'Act.' He argues that a hundred actions are better than a hundred observations, and a hundred observations are better than a hundred thoughts. He is a representative artist of the 798 Art Zone and an icon of resistance. His works increase public accessibility to political issues through satire and metaphor (Jeong Chang-mi, 2014). He expressed his political role as an artist as follows.

“The most basic rights we have are the right to information,

and the right to express ourselves freely. If these rights are stolen,

as an artist, it is my fundamental creative principle to resist.

(Ai Weiwei, 2010)” 7. 798 Art District Activist, Ai Weiwei's Art of Politics_798 Art District

True to his emphasis on freedom of expression and the right to information, Ai Weiwei has pioneered new fields in the art world by utilizing internet technology. From an early stage, around 2006, he used his blog to document his life as an artist and personal experiences, freely expressing his views on the human condition and social issues. Ai Weiwei described the blog as 'an amazing space where an exhibition can be held every minute,' positively evaluating the changes brought about by internet technology to himself and the world. Currently, Ai Weiwei is an influencer with over 600,000 followers on social media. He continues his human rights advocacy by leveraging the influence of social media.

Among Ai Weiwei's numerous works, the most widely recognized and one that offers the deepest insight into his ideology is the "Study of Perspective series." This series, characterized by its strong anti-establishment and anti-government sentiment, has resonated not only within the art world but also across various societal spheres (Jeong Chang-mi, 2014).

2 Study of Perspective - White House, Ai Weiwei, 1995, C-Prints,

3 Study of Perspective - Eiffel Tower, Ai Weiwei, 1995, C-prints, 38.9x59cm

This work presents a critical perspective, with the middle finger raised towards the centers of political and artistic power, including the Eiffel Tower, the White House, Tiananmen Square, the Mona Lisa, and the Vatican. Starting with a photograph secretly taken in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 1995, Ai Weiwei has since taken photos with his middle finger raised in over 100 locations. He argued that the actions of an individual can genuinely shake the foundations of state authority, thereby sharply criticizing the Chinese authorities' interference and censorship, as well as the governments of various countries worldwide. Through "Study of Perspective," Ai Weiwei points his finger at the hidden corners of power, urging viewers to confront them. While Ai Weiwei directly points to buildings or objects, compelling us to see them, he leaves it to each individual to decide whether to view them through the middle finger or what to aim their arrow at.

Ai Weiwei's perspective emphasizes the importance of vision and the power of judgment, posing a new challenge to traditional artistic perspective. His art pursues the creation of reality rather than its representation, an awareness of being part of reality, and socially engaged practice that emphasizes fundamental principles and responsibility. The collection of photographs, with the middle finger extended towards symbolic and authoritative places in various cities worldwide, demonstrates Ai Weiwei's consistent values and identity, representing the existence of authority that oppresses human rights and freedom, and the resistance against it.

In addition, through the work 'Sunflower Seeds,' which featured a space filled with sunflower seeds, a symbol of Chinese Communism, he criticized China's overpopulation and the invisibility of manual laborers. 'Sunflower Seeds' is an installation artwork created in collaboration with artisans in Jingdezhen, the primary porcelain production center in northeastern Jiangxi Province, China, who were struggling with unemployment. Over 100 million porcelain sunflower seeds were produced and installed in the Turbine Hall of the Tate Modern in London. Visitors could walk directly on the artwork, experiencing and interacting with it fully. In his video art '4851,' he criticized the government's downplaying of earthquake fatalities by reading the names of 4,851 deceased children. His installation work 'Remembering,' which used schoolbags of children who died in the Sichuan earthquake to spell out the phrase 'The children lived happily in the world for 7 years,' further illustrates Ai Weiwei's ongoing confrontation with the Chinese government.

4 Sunflower Seeds, Ai Weiwei, 2010, Installation art 7. 798 Art District Activist, Ai Weiwei's Art of Politics_798 Art District

5 Remembering, Ai Weiwei, 2009, Installation art

Before he could even walk, Ai Weiwei was exiled with his father, branded an anti-communist, to the Gobi Desert, where they were subjected to 16 years of forced labor. He received no education, let alone any experience in artistic activities. However, growing up during China's Cultural Revolution (文化大革命), Ai Weiwei developed critical thinking skills through direct experience. Political figures of that era, such as Marx, Lenin, and Mao Zedong, significantly influenced his values and ideology. Having spent his childhood in harsh conditions where individual freedom and human rights were suppressed, he was able to directly experience and express the contradictions and problems of society.

Ai Weiwei: Identity Between Agitator and Artist

Since beginning his activities exposing issues within China, Ai Weiwei has continued to participate directly in the field, encouraging voluntary support and engagement from his followers, despite ongoing government repression. However, there are also negative perspectives on Ai Weiwei. Their core argument is that his excessive fame blurs his identity as an artist. Furthermore, they criticize him, comparing his eccentric and absurd actions to Don Quixote, suggesting a lack of serious moral awareness or reflective demeanor as an artist. They argue that actions solely pursuing showmanship cannot be recognized as art. The debate over whether he can be defined as an artist has persisted since he first gained recognition. While some positively evaluate his numerous participatory artworks from an aesthetic standpoint, regardless of his political actions, others criticize his artistic qualifications. For instance, his representative work 'Sunflower Seeds' faced exhibition restrictions due to potential health risks from dust particles, leading some critics to deem him lacking as an artist for not considering such details. Moreover, China's state-run Xinhua News Agency reported that Ai Weiwei committed plagiarism at an exhibition in 2007 (Kyle Chayka, 2010).

Martin Roth, director of the Dresden State Art Collections in Germany, holds a very negative view of Ai Weiwei, likening him to an 'obnoxious agitator in an art scene full of whiners.' He argues that while many artists oppose the government, Ai Weiwei is merely one of them who has succeeded in inciting the public through skillful media manipulation (Kyle Chayka, 2011). Furthermore, in a BBC interview, Chinese diplomat Liu Xiaoming also expressed a negative view, stating that China has many more talented artists than Ai Weiwei and that his fame stems from his exploitation of the Chinese government. He claimed that Ai Weiwei's punishment was not for being imprisoned due to the government's irrational oppression for criticizing the Chinese government, but rather for economic offenses such as destroying accounting documents and financial irregularities, criticizing Ai Weiwei for using the Chinese government as a means to gain fame (David NG, 2015). Following the publication of Liu Xiaoming's BBC interview, Ai Weiwei responded by posting photos of tax-related documents on his social media account as evidence, refuting Liu Xiaoming's claims. Liu Xiaoming has not offered any rebuttal or comment on Ai Weiwei's response.

Some Chinese netizens argue that Western attention and the temporary trend surrounding prominent anti-establishment figures from the Chinese-speaking world, like Ai Weiwei, weaken democratic dissent within China, thereby posing no threat to the stability of the Chinese regime (Kyle Chayka, 2011). They categorize not only Ai Weiwei but also the radical writer Liu Xiaobo as agitators disrupting China, attacking them together. They contend that these anti-establishment and anti-government figures do not represent the entire Chinese populace and that their excessive Western-centric views ultimately destroy the history, culture, and tastes of the people who wish to preserve communism. They argue that Ai Weiwei represents only his Western fans, captivated by his radical actions, Western demeanor, and fluent English, not the Chinese people, and therefore lacks the legitimacy to serve as a political representative model for China (SMH, 2011). However, Ai Weiwei stands as a fighter for human rights not only in China but for people worldwide. He criticizes not only the Chinese government's surveillance, censorship, and human rights abuses but also the short-sighted interests and greed of the West, continuing his efforts to protect faith in humanity and universal human rights. He asserts that social responsibility is the most crucial quality for a modern intellectual and demonstrates this through his actions.

Despite being blacklisted by the Chinese government, enduring multiple instances of detention, threats, and physical assault, and having his studio demolished, Ai Weiwei's consistent voice and active political engagement have exposed the Chinese government's oppression and violence, drawing global attention and attracting numerous fans and supporters. While acknowledging his own radicalism, he contemplates new methods of communication and ways to promote freedom of expression beyond merely hanging paintings on walls or exhibiting in museums. As of 2015, he was ranked as the most influential figure in the art world globally (Artsy PLANET ART, 2015), demonstrating his significant political influence.

The Politics of Weiweism

For Ai Weiwei, the boundary between the identity of an activist and an artist is blurred. And Ai Weiwei questions the reason why these two should be separated. Ai Weiwei has continued various activities by crossing the boundaries of art and politics. He argues that art and politics are inseparable, and if anyone attempts to separate them, it is itself an act driven by political intent. This section aims to explore what kind of art Ai Weiwei pursues and what art and politics mean to him, through his selected quotes.

“We are always asked, ‘Why do you care about society?’”

And my answer is clear: “If you are an artist,

you must associate yourself with freedom of expression.” (Ai Weiwei

2013) As mentioned earlier, Ai Weiwei places the utmost importance on freedom of expression. In his collection of quotes, he likens freedom of expression to the beauty of life itself, suggesting that the constraints and oppression he faces can even stimulate his imagination to achieve freedom of expression (Ai Weiwei, 2013). Ai Weiwei states that the reason he began in art was to enjoy freedom of thought and speech, encouraging contemporary artists not to waste their 'blessed freedom of expression.' At the same time, he emphasizes that artists must constantly pay attention to society to protect and enjoy freedom of expression. However, he expresses regret that in contemporary society, people are aware of many events and information due to the flood of information, yet they relatively rarely extend a helping hand or pay attention.

On the internet, people do not know about each other,

there are no common leaders, and they do not share the same political goals.

Nevertheless, they act together for specific issues. I consider this a miracle.

This is something that could not be seen in the past. Without the internet,

I would not be the Ai Weiwei I am today.

I simply want to be an artist who diligently pursues my work somewhere (Ai Weiwei, 2013).

For him, the most positive development that could occur in China is the use of the internet (Ai Weiwei, 2013). This is because it has created a platform for discussion and exchange of opinions on the same issues, even without knowing each other's political leanings, values, or preferences. Power is generated from the power of communication, and this power provides political legitimacy to the rule of law (Habermas, Jürgen, 1996). A nation that lacks communication and suppresses freedom of speech is a nation lacking political legitimacy. Communication and exchange of opinions through the internet enable the identification and reform of state injustices. Ai Weiwei states that the impetus for his uninhibited political actions also stems from the internet, and he feels liberated by the technological advancements that have brought about complete changes in time and space (Ai Weiwei, 2013). Ai Weiwei argues that the possibility of freedom triumphing is greater in the uncontrollable online world.

For him, the most positive thing that can happen in China is the use of the internet (Ai Weiwei 2013). This is because a forum has been created where people can discuss and exchange opinions on the same issue, even without knowing each other's political orientations, values, or preferences. Power is generated from the power of communication, and this power provides political legitimacy to the rule of law (Habermas, Jürgen, 1996). A state that lacks communication and suppresses freedom of speech is a state lacking political legitimacy. Communication and exchange of opinions via the internet allow for the pointing out and reform of a state's injustices. Ai Weiwei states that the impetus for his unhindered political actions also stems from the internet, and he expresses a sense of liberation from technological advancements that have led to complete changes in space and time (Ai Weiwei 2013). Ai Weiwei argues that the possibility of freedom triumphing is greater in the uncontrollable online world.

My choices after realizing this are as follows: To be truthful or

deceitful? To act or be indoctrinated? To be free or

imprisoned? (Ai Weiwei, 2013)

He rejects passivity. He views being bound by the past negatively and continuously strives for progress. He promises to pursue truth and freedom for people and to act for them. He hopes that more people will live freer lives through voluntary choices. For him, contemporary art is both a purpose and a means to resist power. Continuous oppression also serves as a driving force for Ai Weiwei to create new works and continue his activities.

The more you try to avoid responsibility, the more I am put in danger.

If we all speak with one voice, the government will have no choice but to listen to our demands.

But if everyone remains silent, I will be left alone. Responsibility is a very important value that we must uphold.

However, in Chinese society,

People abandon their efforts to protect this value (Ai Weiwei 2013).

Some people accuse Ai Weiwei of being a spokesperson for Western civilization. If he were an agitator representing the West, he would not have raised his middle finger at the White House. He is not only confronting the human rights abuses and oppression of the Chinese Communist Party regime but also continuing his movement to dismantle authority and exploitation worldwide. Ai Weiwei calls himself an artist who expands boundaries. He defines his work as expanding the scope of possibility and reversing perspectives (Ai Weiwei 2013). Furthermore, he criticizes the Chinese government's control and crackdown, asserting that those who seek to control culture will not attain it.

Ai Weiwei's actions have made people aware of elements lacking in existing society and have brought about changes in their perceptions. Beyond individual-led social movements, Ai Weiwei, an activist in the 798 Art District, encourages broader participation. Ai Weiwei's art has significant implications not only for Chinese society but also for the world. As the power of direct public participation and practice grows stronger, the foundation of society expands and solidifies. With technological advancements, information asymmetry has been significantly reduced compared to the past, public spheres have formed in cyberspace, and the growth of governance and civil society has created an environment that can overcome the limitations of representative democracy. The collective actions of citizens can transform individual issues into community problems, leading to national reform. Various actions where citizens and the public voluntarily participate towards a common goal enable citizens to realize their sovereignty and change society (Jin Taewon, 2017). Pointing out societal pain points that people cannot address, sublimating them into art, and encouraging people's participation is a very meaningful endeavor.

Conclusion

Art is an effective tool for changing the world. Through static and gentle melodies, or sometimes through novel and shocking movements, art poses new questions to the world. While art may not be the solution itself to political problems, it can provide clues and serve as a guide to encourage more people to pay attention. And Ai Weiwei is faithfully fulfilling his role as a guide. He strives to focus on himself as a human being rather than as an artist. He states that the reason he constantly addresses social issues and engages in related activities is that he is a person before being an artist. Ai Weiwei's pursuit of art involves recognizing reality, creating reality, and encouraging more people to participate in problem-solving. Ai Weiwei poses the question, 'What is the meaning of art if it is unrelated to the suffering or sorrow of others?' Having personally experienced the Cultural Revolution, a period of forced labor with his father and widespread vandalism, Ai Weiwei spent his childhood in an environment where individual freedom and human rights were suppressed, allowing him to become more immersed in societal contradictions and the plight of the socially vulnerable. Recently, he released the documentary 'Coronation,' which depicts the reality in Wuhan, unfiltered, showcasing the absurdity, cruelty, and inhumanity of the Chinese government. We must continue to pay close attention to Ai Weiwei's actions, which expose totalitarianism and militarized surveillance of residents.

Under Deng Xiaoping's leadership, China adopted a policy of reform and opening up, leading to remarkable economic development and its emergence as a global power rivaling the United States. However, human rights abuses persist, particularly concerning the Uyghur minority in Xinjiang and the situation in Hong Kong. Furthermore, media and internet censorship, along with domestic surveillance and control, are chronic issues of the Chinese government, repeatedly criticized by other nations. While the current Chinese government is attempting to design planned artistic spaces through initiatives like the 7.789 Art District's activist approach and the political economy of Ai Weiwei's art, it aggressively retaliates against artists and works with anti-government sentiments. The state-led cultural industry, prioritizing 'industry' over 'culture' in its national development strategy, treats artists not as individuals expressing personal values or ideas, but as 'entrepreneurs' creating commercially viable works. It selectively favors artists who align with the government's agenda. This is a critical juncture where artists who continuously expose issues and voice concerns for freedom and human rights are increasingly needed. We need a second, a third Ai Weiwei.

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