Chinese artist Ai Weiwei is deeply admired the world over, yet he cannot travel outside his home country. Despite having designed Beijing’s iconic National Stadium (the “Bird’s Nest” of 2008 Olympic fame), he has spent scattered months and years in prison and under house arrest for speaking out against the Communist Party. But his subversive wit and poignant installations have made him something of a superstar to Western political science students, foreign policy enthusiasts, and human rights activists.
Though I respect his achievements, I don’t quite swoon for him in the way others seem to. I’m ashamed to admit that for the last few years, my attitude about the plight of dissidents around the world, Ai included, has been one of ambivalence, with just a dash of sympathy.
My excuses are lame, but I’ll give them anyway: there’s something about dissidents that is hopelessly sad, particularly in China, where the rule of the Communist Party is virtually unquestioned and its ability to silence opposition unmatched possibly in world history. Sure, it sucks that this man, along with many others, has been imprisoned and abused for voicing his opinions, but I think, "what the hell am I supposed to do about it?” and hide.
I’ve also noticed that among many Ai-admirers I’ve spoken to, the story with China begins and ends with its human rights record; many speak of China almost exclusively in negative terms. I find this deeply unfair. Compared to much of the world, China is an open and progressive society. When I lived in Shanghai from 2004-2007, I experienced a culture more alive with hope and ambition than any I’d seen before. Hundreds of millions of people have been elevated from poverty in recent decades; relative progress is relevant, even though absolute democratic values are also important. It’s really hard to experience China in the way I did and not have warm feelings about how far they’ve come.
When Western observers speak in abjectly negative terms about China’s government and culture because of how these dissidents are treated, I get defensive. And I think I haven’t been as interested in Ai Weiwei as a result; he gets plenty of attention, so I like to focus on happy China thoughts.
So I wasn’t really sure what I would feel when I went out to Alcatraz a month ago to see @Large, Ai’s new series of installations on Alcatraz Island just off San Francisco. But I’m glad that I went. Through the intricacy, color, and vibrancy of his art, Ai brought my conscience about dissent just a little bit out of hiding.
The exhibit’s first installation — a traditional Chinese dragon kite — was so intricate, so colorful, and so alive that I could only walk around it, staring into its complex face, and examining each one of its panels, for about twenty minutes. Having been so enraptured, my thoughts turned to the meaning behind the masterpiece; and in so doing, I couldn’t avoid facing my own feelings about the rights to self expression that I enjoy, and the people who have suffered in the struggle for it.
Have a look for yourself:
In traditional Chinese culture, dragons symbolize boldness, heroism, and perseverance; and when I look at this dragon head, it evokes thoughts of power, even dominance. Irrespective of Chinese culture, dragons are probably the most awesome creatures in (non)existence.
The kite hangs from the ceiling, and winds its way from one end of a huge open space to the other; standing at the dragon’s head, the tail is so far away you can’t even see it. This has the effect of making the installation look never-ending, the panels continuing off into the distance.
On every tenth panel or so was painted a quotation from a dissident, some of which I recognized, like Nelson Mandela, but most of which I didn’t.
It seems weird to portray dissent with a colorful dragon. There have been thousands of dissidents over course of history, but we haven’t heard of most of them, because most of them have been imprisoned and silenced. Most of the ones we have heard of were those who somehow escaped and at least partially succeeded, like Mandela, and Dr. King. But the vast majority are out of view, forgotten. Their existence is not colorful; it’s hardly vibrant. They don’t seem that powerful. Certainly not as colorful, vibrant, and powerful as this dragon Ai has made to represent them.
But they are bold. They are heroes, without the sacrifices of which many more of people across human history would still live without self-determination and freedom of expression. They are persevering, and, one should hope, much like the illusory never-ending appearance of the dragon kite, there will never be an end to their protest.
Having spent twenty minutes looking at the dragon and absorbing what meaning I could, I was much more prepared for the second installation of Ai’s exhibit: the faces of imprisoned dissidents from around the world, represented in huge panels made of Legos lying on the floor:
Without having seen the dragon, I might have walked in, though, “wow, cool he used Legos to build all that,” and moved on. After the dragon, I spent time studying these faces with a kind of subdued reverence.
The presence of Edward Snowden’s face in the first series of panels is a reminder that dissent is everywhere, even in the places where protection of free expression is greatest.
@Large is on exhibition at a time when free expression is increasingly threatened around the world. As I’ve said, Ai is something of a hero among liberal political science students and activist-types, but in China he and his struggle just aren't that well known or sympathized with. Authoritarianism is on the rise globally, led by a recalcitrant China and a provocative Russia, and the image of the US and Europe, and by extension the liberal values they represent, have had their effectiveness at facilitating social harmony and prosperity questioned. Many think China will become the next global power, while Turkey’s government is restricting dissent, and the Prime Minister of Hungary says he believes in "illiberal democracy," as if to suggest that accountability to the people and protection of civil liberties are niceties that serious countries can't afford. The US, post-Bush, is in no position to credibly preach self-determination and free expression.
Is it hopeless, then? Is Ai’s message about dissent futile? Maybe.
It’s hard to see a path forward. When it comes to politics, I am pragmatic. I don’t believe we should genuinely threaten China’s economic relations with the US unless we are prepared to threaten our economic ties with every other authoritarian nation, which we cannot do. The US cannot ensure everyone’s freedom around the world. There are too many dictators, kings, sheikhs, and oligarchies for us to take a stand. But the only thing worse than letting these dissidents live in silent suffering would be to forget about them entirely. So long as Ai is making such beautiful art, one thing is for sure: we will remember.