Words of Wisdom: Renowned Chinese artist Ai Wei Wei visits Qatar

Ai Wei Wei, the renowned Chinese contemporary artist, and rather famous dissident, is visiting Qatar as part of his recent trip to the Middle East.

He spoke at the Museum of Islamic Art on Tuesday in a public talk, advising young artists in the region to find their voices and express themselves so they may be heard (The Peninsula).

This visit comes as part of the artist’s mission to highlight the need for wealthy Gulf States to take in more displaced Syrians fleeing the civil war in their country (Reuters).

As one of China’s most high-profile artists and an outspoken political activist, Ai faced imprisonment for 81 days by the Chinese government in 2011. In spite of all, he has continued to use art as a means of expressing his views about the human condition, and as a force of human rights activism (The Peninsula).

At the talk, Ai advised burgeoning Arab artists to, “create an art different from the global mainstream even though you may want or eventually become part of it. You have to begin with your own roots because it’s where the difference can come from. Of course you must bring in a contemporary language which could be debated thus have relevance for today” (The Peninsula). 

Ai has been known to use particular gestures to bring attention to the plight of refugees fleeing conflict in the Middle East. In March of 2016, he dragged a white grand piano into a rain soaked, squalid refugee camp on the Greece-Macedonia border for a Syrian refugee woman to play. The young woman, a pianist in her own right, had been separated from her husband for a year and a half, and Ai wanted to give her the opportunity to play the instrument after not having touched one for three long years (Mail Online).

Ai planned to visit Qatar’s notable public art projects, including the East-West/West-East Richard Serra sculpture, as well as meet with young artists at the Fire Station: Artist in Residence Programme (The-WAU).

Photo Credits: Reuters