The MoMa, REACT to FILM and The Common Good presented a screening of the Academy Award short-listed documentary Ai WeiWei: Never Sorry.
Ai WeiWei: Never Sorry is the inside story of a political dissident who inspires global audiences and blurs the boundaries of art and politics. The screening was followed by a Q&A with director Alison Klayman.
Ai Weiwei is China’s most famous international artist and its most outspoken domestic critic. Against a backdrop of strict censorship and an unresponsive legal system, Weiwei expresses himself and organizes people through art and social media. In response, Chinese authorities have shut down his blog, bulldozed his newly built studio, and held him in secret detention.
First-time director Alison Klayman gained unprecedented access to Weiwei while working as a journalist in China. Her detailed portrait provides a nuanced exploration of contemporary China and one of its most compelling public figures.
Ai Weiwei is a Chinese artist and activist. His activity as a dissident has gone hand in hand with his artistic career and he has continued to produce work testifying to his political beliefs while at the same time making plenty of room for creativity and experimentation. (1)
After returning to China from his studies abroad, Ai contributed to the establishment of Beijing’s East Village, a community of avant-garde artists. In 1997, he co-founded the China Art Archives & Warehouse (CAAW), one of the first independent art spaces in China. In 2003, Ai started his own architecture practice, FAKE Design. In 2007, as a participant of documenta 12, Ai brought 1001 Chinese citizens to Kassel as part of his Fairytale project. In 2008, Ai and the Swiss architecture team of Herzog and de Meuron designed the Beijing National Stadium. Recently, Ai Weiwei’s film Human Flow participed in the 74th Venice International Film Festival. (1)
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(1) Material from the Galleria Continua website.
