Chinese artist Ai Weiwei is one of the best-known artists in the world for his combative, provocative, and very public stances against the repressive Chinese government. A recent New York Times piece noted that he “seems to lose his sense of humor only rarely”; it’s well on display in the video below, which was banned in China:
The Washington Post explains the video’s offensive subtext.
If you haven’t seen the recent film Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, I’d really recommend it. It’s an affectionate portrait, to be sure, that doesn’t engage with the most persistent criticism leveled at Weiwei: That much of his work is gimmickry aimed at raising his cachet in the Western art world. It does, however, contextualize his work in China in a way that makes it hard to take that criticism too seriously.
That is funny. Can you picture Jeff “Fucking” Koons doing something this silly? NOOOOOOOOOO! Cause he suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucks!