Ai Weiwei (ATW #2)

Ai Weiwei is an artist who was born in Beijing, China. Most of his art work calls into attention human rights violations that he and others face. He has being targeted by the Chinese government because he believes in free speech and freedom of expression. According to Ai Weiwei, the suppression of his government has influenced some of his pieces. Ai Weiwei is also one of the first contemporary artists who has made social media his main domain.

Ai Weiwei uses photography and objects in his work. The art pieces that have caught my attention were made out of marble and possibly plastic. The first piece that caught my attention was the He Xie (2011) piece. Although just by looking at it, it just looks like a bunch of crabs piled on, on top of one another, which reminds me of the Pirates of the Caribbean at Worlds End. But when actually looking at the description of the piece, you soon realize how personal the meaning is. He Xie (river crab) describes censorship and surveillance within the government. Although his piece focuses on China, it can also be seen here in the United States. This may personally apply to everyone, but considering the times that we live in now, or have been living in, some people are constantly being watched. This also applies to censorship because censorship suppresses individuals to act freely without being judged.

Ai Weiwei's surveillance camera (2010) has also caught my attention. Ai Weiwei created this piece because he was being watched by the government. This piece caught my attention because it was crafted with marble. I like this piece because, like the other piece, it can also be applied to the United States. If we stop and think, we are constantly being watched by the government or by the private eye. There are camera's everywhere we go. Surveillance camera's are set up on roads, and in stores and business entrances. People take photos and record video's, and most of us use some sort of social media. We are constantly being watched, but for most instances, we don't notice.