The Chinese artist has lived and worked in Berlin since leaving his homeland in 2015 and is now pondering his next step. Citing the language barrier as a reason for moving on, Ai Weiwei will keep his studio in the city.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Kappeler
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Chinese artist Ai Weiwei is preparing to say farewell to Berlin after three years but will keep his studio permanently in the city. The 60-year-old human rights activist told dpa that the main reason for finding a new home was the language barrier.
In addition, he said he wanted to live somewhere where there is more sun. "Wherever I settle — I would not call it home," he explained, intimating that he will not be returning to China any time soon.
Der Tagesspiegel newspaper had reported on Wednesday that Ai had announced his plans "casually" at an event in Berlin.
Ai Weiwei was arrested and detained by Chinese authorities for 81 days in 2011, after which the government retained his passport for over four years. The artist could not leave China until his passport was returned at the end of July 2015.
As intended before his arrest, the outlawed artist moved to Berlin to join his family and take up a guest professorship at the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK) that he'd been offered in 2011 — his three-year visiting professorship ends this summer.
The artist also opened a long-planned studio in the former Pfefferberg brewery in the Prenzlauer Berg area.
Ai weiwei has been busy during him time in Berlin, and is seen here in his documentary "Human Flow" that traces the plight of displaced refugees Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Human Flow UG
Defending human rights
The renowned artistic provocateur has continued to tackle current political issues during his stay in Berlin — particularly the fate of refugees.
"He's assumed his responsibility as a defender of human rights and I don't think that's about to change," museum curator Adrian Locke, who was preparing an Ai Weiwei exhibition at the Royal Academy in London in 2015, told DW at the time.
That same summer, an unforeseen flow of refugees was reaching Europe. The migrants' plight echoed Ai's own experiences and the dangerous journeys they undertook inspired a series of projects, including the film "Human Flow."
"With every exhibition, I also try to answer the question of who I am," the restless artist told the filmmakers of a DW documentary which followed him throughout that year, "Ai Weiwei Drifting."
Ai Weiwei Drifting
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Berlin to remain his workplace
"Berlin gave me an important time for reorientation, and with my underground studio and my ignorance of the German language, it helped me get the necessary seclusion for my work," said Ai.
"My studio in Berlin will always be my base; I will never give that up," he added.
During the same event, the artist confirmed that he met the Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont in Berlin.
Together they spoke about the human rights situation in Europe and about the possibilities of legal protest in defense of human rights and democracy.
Ai Weiwei: politics and art
Ai Weiwei polarizes. He is celebrated in the West for his artistic achievements but defamed as a criminal in his home country, China. Now, a major exhibition of his work is taking place in Berlin - without the artist.
Image: Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images
Superstar and provocateur
For many people in China, the sculptor and installation artist acts as their social conscience. He campaigns for freedom of speech in his home country and publically condemns political oppression. For that reason, the critic is banned from leaving China. For the past three years, authorities have refused to issue him a passport.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
The name says it all
"Evidence" is the title of the exhibition, which is taking place in the Martin Gropius Bau in Berlin. With 34 scultpures and installations, Ai Weiwei reflects on the social reality in his country, like with this work, "Wooden Stools." Displayed in the museum's courtyard, the 6,000 stools are organized according to a geometrical pattern.
Image: Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images
Tradition and modernity
These wooden stools, which originated during the Ming and Qing dynasties, were collected by Ai Weiwei's assistants in northern China over a number of years. At one time, they could be found in every household and were passed down from generation to generation. Since the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s, stools have been mass-produced using plastic.
Image: Mathias Völzke
81 days without nights
In 2011, Ai Weiwei was incarcerated in a prison near Beijing and guarded around the clock for 81 days - without an arrest warrant. The lights were kept on in his cell day and night. He was accused of tax evasion and his passport was revoked. International pressure finally led to his release. For the Berlin exhibition, the artist has recreated his cell in a work titled "81 days."
Image: Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images
Big Brother is watching you!
After his release, the authorities continued their surveillance of Ai Weiwei and installed a dozen cameras in front of his atelier in Beijing. The state is aware of every visitor he receives. He's now turned the situation around, at least artistically, by recreating the surveillance cameras in marble for the Berlin show.
Image: Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images
Souvenir from Shanghai
In the past, the Chinese government tried to beneft from Ai Weiwei's popularity. He was encouraged to set up another studio in Shanghai as part of a giant artists' village. In 2011, his criticism of the regime was deemed unacceptable and the completed studio was torn down. The 57-year-old created an artwork with the rubble from the atelier, placing it in a traditional wooden bed.
Image: Getty Images
Political pun
To protest the demolition of his atelier and annoy the authorities, Ai Weiwei organized a freshwater crab festival. The Chinese word for freshwater crab sounds just like "he xie," the word for harmony. State propaganda promotes harmony as the ideal for Chinese society. Ai Weiwei's porcelain crabs can now be seen in Berlin.
Image: Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images
Equivocal kaleidoscope
Ai Weiwei welded 150 bicycle frames into an impressive installation. The work is not only a reference to cars taking over the streets in China, but also to a prominent show trial. Several years ago, a young Chinese man was arrested and mistreated for not registering his bicycle. He was later sentenced to death.
Image: Getty Images
Will he come?
About half of the works on show were created especially for the Berlin exhibition, which was set up by Ai Weiwei's personal assistants. The artist is forbidden from leaving China, which is why he sent a video message for the opening: "I hope can come to see the show and can share the moment with my audience." The exhibition runs through July 7, in the Martin Gropius Bau.
