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Ai Weiwei Speaks: with Hans Ulrich Obrist (A Penguin Special) by Obrist, Hans Ulrich (2011) Paperback
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January 13, 2019
This is a series of interviews, which read more like transcripts. It's the kind of thing that if I was present for the actual interview, or the event they were discussing felt like it could be a very treasured thing to have the book. But without having more context, I felt like it barely scratched the surface of things, which is odd especially as different sections came back to same topics (or even the smae questions). I appreciated the thinking practices more than the discussion of art, but than again... a lot of art is about thinking, isn't it?
Overall, I expected to enjoy this one more than I did. I may revisit it after becoming more familiar with Ai Weiwei's work (including reading the the blog!) Often the discussions were interesting, just not what I expected. It did make me think about a lot of things, which is always a beneficial thing. I just wanted to *enjoy* it more.
Overall, I expected to enjoy this one more than I did. I may revisit it after becoming more familiar with Ai Weiwei's work (including reading the the blog!) Often the discussions were interesting, just not what I expected. It did make me think about a lot of things, which is always a beneficial thing. I just wanted to *enjoy* it more.
Read
January 19, 2025I really love Ai Weiwei's work and the depth of his creative, thought-provoking mind. These conversations offer a great opportunity to get closer to the artist, uncover the ideas behind some of his works, and understand the choices he made while creating them.
While I acknowledge it's a collection of separate conversations, and each one had its own purpose—whether supporting an exhibition or being published elsewhere—there’s a noticeable repetition of topics across the book. The same questions come up in nearly every conversation, and the answers don’t really change.
It feels like a strange editorial choice by Hans Ulrich Obrist or those compiling the collection to keep these repeated exchanges, as they don’t add much new insight.
While I acknowledge it's a collection of separate conversations, and each one had its own purpose—whether supporting an exhibition or being published elsewhere—there’s a noticeable repetition of topics across the book. The same questions come up in nearly every conversation, and the answers don’t really change.
It feels like a strange editorial choice by Hans Ulrich Obrist or those compiling the collection to keep these repeated exchanges, as they don’t add much new insight.
December 30, 2011
We met in one of my most favorite places in Europe: The Museum Shop at TATE Modern, London. We spend some time together, intensive sessions, once in a local pub, over beer and fish&chips, then during our train ride back to the airport. The second time we met, he had home advantage. It was a Chinese coffee shop in Shanghai; now definitely one of my favorite places in Asia.
‘Seeker’, with its mysterious and dead-on name near Ferguson Lane, has the special charm of an old Scottish house with worn-out parquet floors, dismounted velvet chairs and -it is the truth- an original Gaggia coffee machine, the best on this planet (if you ask me). I am the only foreigner in this magical place. The other guests are talking (even if I do not understand a single word, I love to listen to the Chinese language), playing online poker or just sitting around; doing nothing over a cup of coffee. In this fast urban environment, in which Shanghai sucks you in immediately, this was my personal peace-on-earth-spot. And the first place, where I felt “a sense of Chinese locality” during my entire China trip (1o days in late November, the first visit to the country). No expats. No English. Just the best café latte of this year reminds me that I am situated in one of the most buzzing urban centers in this world. But as long as the entrance door is closed, I am a true ‘seeker’. And this is where the story starts.
***
I bought “Ai WeiWei speaks… with Hans Ulrich Obrist” during a weekend trip to London mid-November at the TATE Modern Museum Shop. I did not know much about the artist, his concept of life, his work, his success, his background. But this little book, a Penguin Special, with Ai WeiWei himself on the cover, attracted my attention immediately, no clue why. After watching the outstanding Gerhard Richter show, ‘Panorama’, I sat down for a while in the cafeteria and started reading. “Ai WeiWei keeps extending the notion of art: he is an artist, a poet, an architect, a curator, an expert on antique Chinese craftwork, a publisher, an urbanist, a collector, he has his own blog, and so on. The parallel realities in his work are very complex – and this is what makes him so unique.” Hans Ulrich Obrist, one of the most active curators, critic and historian of art, has not only written these words – the five interviews in “Ai WeiWei speaks” are conducted by him as part of his “Interview Project” (check out this little video on the project here) from 2006 until 2010. Hence, the focus of the book lies on the holistic artistic approach of Ai WeiWei and his transformation during the years being an ‘interdisciplinary social sculpture’. Especially with the Beijing Olymics in 2008 (he co-designed the famous ‘bird’s nest stadium’), as a milestone of modern China’s development in a global context, the temporal dimension of the interviews gives the clueless reader (such as me) a fantastic introduction- with ease. And that is important to understand his work – and therefore, the artist himself.
***
Ai WeiWei talks about his childhood in China (he is the son of one the greatest modern Chinese poets, Ai Qing), his time in New York, where he met beat poet Allen Gingsberg and discovered his sense of photography, as well as about his blog (2006-2009; the Chinese government shut it down), with more than 100,000 people visiting the website every day. (By the way: MIT Press published the English translation of the blog (click here) – actually, a book about life and culture in China, true to the motto: ‘Blogging produces reality rather than simply representing it’. I am currently reading it – the book review is following soon.) Ai WeiWei is talking about his work as an architect and his admiration for Wittgenstein (for example, Ai WeiWei’s studio in Beijing is inspired by the house Wittgenstein built for his sister in Vienna in 1928). To say it in a nutshell: “Ai WeiWei speaks…” is the best introduction out there.
***
I wasn’t reading the book in one go. But while going through interview via interview, my so-called ‘meetings’ with him, thousands of thoughts came into my mind, like you have during a good and intense conversation. Even at ‘Seeker’, I scribbled tons of ideas in my notebook, not being fully aware about Ai WeiWei’s supercritical status in China itself. Only when one of the waiters, who spoke a bit of English, came to my table and asked me, what this book says about Ai WeiWei, I understood the social dimension of an artist in a capitalistic driven, but tongue-tied society. Caught in the act! Scared in the beginning, I explained the waiter what I read so far, and why especially Germans are so fascinated by Ai WeiWei after the 12th documenta (one of the world’s leading contemporary art fairs in Kassel, Germany), where he was one of the star exhibitors with ‘Fairytale‘. The waiter was quiet for a while, and then asked me more and more questions about art, my perception on China and the difference to a country like India. Even though we both aren’t English native speakers, the way of asking and the reaction on his face while I was trying to answer was a stunning moment: Intercultural communication at its best. For me a glimpse of the Chinese soul, a true hermeneutic conversation. In his introduction to “Ai WeiWei speaks…” Hans Ulrich Oberst wrote: “This book is published to support him and to celebrate the many dimensions of his practise.” And I think, the conversation with the ‘seeker’, which started in Shanghai between me and the waiter, is one way of support, Ai WeiWei would be happy about.
‘Seeker’, with its mysterious and dead-on name near Ferguson Lane, has the special charm of an old Scottish house with worn-out parquet floors, dismounted velvet chairs and -it is the truth- an original Gaggia coffee machine, the best on this planet (if you ask me). I am the only foreigner in this magical place. The other guests are talking (even if I do not understand a single word, I love to listen to the Chinese language), playing online poker or just sitting around; doing nothing over a cup of coffee. In this fast urban environment, in which Shanghai sucks you in immediately, this was my personal peace-on-earth-spot. And the first place, where I felt “a sense of Chinese locality” during my entire China trip (1o days in late November, the first visit to the country). No expats. No English. Just the best café latte of this year reminds me that I am situated in one of the most buzzing urban centers in this world. But as long as the entrance door is closed, I am a true ‘seeker’. And this is where the story starts.
***
I bought “Ai WeiWei speaks… with Hans Ulrich Obrist” during a weekend trip to London mid-November at the TATE Modern Museum Shop. I did not know much about the artist, his concept of life, his work, his success, his background. But this little book, a Penguin Special, with Ai WeiWei himself on the cover, attracted my attention immediately, no clue why. After watching the outstanding Gerhard Richter show, ‘Panorama’, I sat down for a while in the cafeteria and started reading. “Ai WeiWei keeps extending the notion of art: he is an artist, a poet, an architect, a curator, an expert on antique Chinese craftwork, a publisher, an urbanist, a collector, he has his own blog, and so on. The parallel realities in his work are very complex – and this is what makes him so unique.” Hans Ulrich Obrist, one of the most active curators, critic and historian of art, has not only written these words – the five interviews in “Ai WeiWei speaks” are conducted by him as part of his “Interview Project” (check out this little video on the project here) from 2006 until 2010. Hence, the focus of the book lies on the holistic artistic approach of Ai WeiWei and his transformation during the years being an ‘interdisciplinary social sculpture’. Especially with the Beijing Olymics in 2008 (he co-designed the famous ‘bird’s nest stadium’), as a milestone of modern China’s development in a global context, the temporal dimension of the interviews gives the clueless reader (such as me) a fantastic introduction- with ease. And that is important to understand his work – and therefore, the artist himself.
***
Ai WeiWei talks about his childhood in China (he is the son of one the greatest modern Chinese poets, Ai Qing), his time in New York, where he met beat poet Allen Gingsberg and discovered his sense of photography, as well as about his blog (2006-2009; the Chinese government shut it down), with more than 100,000 people visiting the website every day. (By the way: MIT Press published the English translation of the blog (click here) – actually, a book about life and culture in China, true to the motto: ‘Blogging produces reality rather than simply representing it’. I am currently reading it – the book review is following soon.) Ai WeiWei is talking about his work as an architect and his admiration for Wittgenstein (for example, Ai WeiWei’s studio in Beijing is inspired by the house Wittgenstein built for his sister in Vienna in 1928). To say it in a nutshell: “Ai WeiWei speaks…” is the best introduction out there.
***
I wasn’t reading the book in one go. But while going through interview via interview, my so-called ‘meetings’ with him, thousands of thoughts came into my mind, like you have during a good and intense conversation. Even at ‘Seeker’, I scribbled tons of ideas in my notebook, not being fully aware about Ai WeiWei’s supercritical status in China itself. Only when one of the waiters, who spoke a bit of English, came to my table and asked me, what this book says about Ai WeiWei, I understood the social dimension of an artist in a capitalistic driven, but tongue-tied society. Caught in the act! Scared in the beginning, I explained the waiter what I read so far, and why especially Germans are so fascinated by Ai WeiWei after the 12th documenta (one of the world’s leading contemporary art fairs in Kassel, Germany), where he was one of the star exhibitors with ‘Fairytale‘. The waiter was quiet for a while, and then asked me more and more questions about art, my perception on China and the difference to a country like India. Even though we both aren’t English native speakers, the way of asking and the reaction on his face while I was trying to answer was a stunning moment: Intercultural communication at its best. For me a glimpse of the Chinese soul, a true hermeneutic conversation. In his introduction to “Ai WeiWei speaks…” Hans Ulrich Oberst wrote: “This book is published to support him and to celebrate the many dimensions of his practise.” And I think, the conversation with the ‘seeker’, which started in Shanghai between me and the waiter, is one way of support, Ai WeiWei would be happy about.
Read
November 14, 2024My dream is to be an artist
November 15, 2021
Yes, the present.
Maybe they'll hate it, maybe they'll think it's ok, maybe they'll like it.
It's perfect because nobody records it.
Maybe they'll hate it, maybe they'll think it's ok, maybe they'll like it.
It's perfect because nobody records it.
September 7, 2012
felt guilty about walking past st marks bookstore, so i picked this up as a cheap introduction to hans ulrich obrist. i've thought about grabbing one of his other collections, but thought this an easy start. overall i was a bit underwhelmed. fits nicely on the heels of all the "too much curating" conversation. he's a curator who began as an interviewer. as such, i'd expect more of an interrogator and a questioner. this is more of the leonard lopate, "pick ten questions and ask them and barely segue" style than a charlie rose/marc maron "follow the conversation and pick a few things to dig at specifically" style that i respect. ai comes off as being a very bright, interesting guy who would have a lot to say to someone who could get him to take the time to talk. there's a lot to ask him as someone whose foundational education in contemporary art happened in new york, sandwiched by a life in china. instead you get an interviewer who's more blown away by the fact that this guy takes lots of pictures and can view a blog as an artistic endeavor.
January 28, 2016
There is so much more that Ai Weiwei is trying to say than is in this book.
Read
January 15, 2021He does some cool stuff but man is he kinda pretentious
May 15, 2023
A bit repetitive at times but I didn’t mind at all, Ai Weiwei is absolutely fascinating and educating as always.
January 15, 2023
บอกตามตรงว่าไม่เคยรู้จัก Ai Weiwei มาก่อนเลยจนกระทั่งเห็นรูปชาวจีนปล่อยแจกันราชวงศ์ฮั่นที่ได้จากการประมูลปล่อยกระแทกพื้นใน fb ของ Tone Tipapanon สืบเนื่องมาจากวิวาทะโพสต์ท่าโหนรูปปั้นปรีดี (คลิกที่ลิงค์ที่ชื่อ เพื่ออ่านความคิดเห็นของคุณ Tone) นั่นเป็นครั้งแรก มาถึงครั้งที่สองตอนเดินจะไปนั่งกินชาใน toast box ที่ T21 ซึ่งผ่านเอเชียบุ๊ค แวะดูตามมารยาท เจอเล่มนี้พอดี ซื้อมาอ่านระหว่างกินชาสักหน่อย Ai Weiwie Speaks with Hans Ulrich Obrist เป็นหนังสือรวมบทสัมภาษณ์ 5 ครั้งเกี่ยวกับงาน แรงบันดาลใจ ประวัติส่วนตัวและครอบครัว รวมถึงความคิดที่มีมิติหลากหลายของแก ซึ่งชวนขนลุกใช้ได้ทีเดียว ขอเล่าพออุ่นเครื่องชวนให้หามาอ่านกันนะครับ
Ai มีพ่อเป็นกวีมีชื่อ พ่อของ Ai เรียนศิลปะในช่วงปี 30 ที่ปารีส และได้รับอิทธิพลอย่างมากจาก Apollinaire, Rimbaud กับ Baudelaire พอถึงช่วงปฏิวัติวัฒนธรรม ความโชคร้ายก็มาเยือน ทำให้เขาไม่สนับสนุนให้ Ai อ่านหนังสือและเผาหนังสือทิ้ง แถมพ่อยังถูกลงโทษให้ทำความสะอาดส้วมในฐานะปัญญาชน Ai เรียนวาดรูปกับศิลปินที่ถูกต่อต้านผู้เป็นเพื่อนกับพ่อ ตอนมาอเมริกาก็เป็นเพื่อนกับ Allen Ginsberg ทั้งคู่เจอกันตอน Allen อ่านบทกวีที่โบสถ์นักบุญมาร์คในนิวยอร์ก บทกวีเกี่ยวกับชาวจีน พออ่านจบ เดินผ่าน Ai เห็นว่า อ้าวชาวจีนนี่หว่า ทักกันหน่อยเดียว ถูกคอ และกลายเป็นว่าช��ตาเล่นตลก เพราะ Allen ก็เคยไปจีนและพบกับพ่อของ Ai ซึ่งในสมัยนั้นทั้งคู่สวมกอดกันดี นั่นเปิดประตูให้ Ai เข้าไปคลุกคลีกับกวีรุ่น Beat ของอเมริกัน หลังจากกลับจีน เขาก็สร้างบ้านสตูดิโอจากแรงบันดาลใจของวิทเก้นชไตน์ และในสัมภาษณ์หลายครั้งเขาบอกว่าวิทเก้นชไตน์นี่แหละแรงบันดาลใจหนึ่งเดียวของเขา แรงบันดาลใจดังกล่าวมาจากการออกแบบบ้านของวิทเก้นชไตน์ให้กับน้องสาวคนหนึ่ง ต่อมา Ai ออกแบบรังนกของจีนโอลิมปิกปักกิ่ง 2008 กับ Herzog และ de Meuron บริษัท sina.com ขอให้เขียนเว็บบล็อก มียอดผู้ชมบล็อกของเขาถึงวันละหนึ่งแสนคน กระทั่งถูกรัฐบาลสั่งปิดในปี 2009 พอถึงปี 2011 สำนักพิมพ์แห่ง MIT ก็แปลและตีพิมพ์บล็อกของแกออกมาเป็นภาษาอังกฤษ เกี่ยวกับ blog นี้ Ai เป็นปลื้มมาก และเป็นหนึ่งในหัวข้อที่สัมภาษณ์ซ้ำแล้วซ้ำเล่าหลายหน เพราะ blog เป็นช่องทางเสรีที่จะปลดปล่อยความคิด ชีวิตและกิจกรรมหลายอย่างของ Ai เผยให้เห็นว่าเขาเป็นคนที่ไม่ได้วางแผนอะไรจริงจังล่วงหน้า และมักอ้างว่าอยากเก็บความไร้เดียงสากับการไม่รู้เรื่องต่าง ๆ เอาไว้เป็นสมบัติประจำตัว เมื่อมีสถานการณ์แปลกใหม่ ตื่นเต้นเมื่อไร เขากระโดดลงไปเป็นผู้เล่นทันที เช่นกรณีถ่ายภาพยนตร์เกี่ยวกับ Yang นักโทษที่ถูกตัดสินประหารชีวิตจากคดีฆาตกรรมซึ่งเต็มไปด้วยความคลุมเครือ Ai ไม่ชอบฟังเพลงนะครับ เขาว่าความเงียบคือเพลงของเขา ครั้งหนึ่งได้รับเชิญให้ไปสอนที่มหาวิทยาลัย และด้วยความที่ไม่เคยเรียนจบอะไรมาเลย และไม่ค่อยชอบระบบการศึกษาเท่าไรนัก แต่เขายินดีรับโดยมีเงื่อนไขว่าจะต้องสอนกันบนรถบัสนะ ตอนออกจากจีนไปอเมริกาแบบแทบไม่มีเงินติดตัวและพูดภาษาอังกฤษไม่ได้ (ซึ่งทำให้เขาต้องทำงานหาเงินด้วยงานทุกอย่างเพื่อให้อยู่รอด และเรียนภาษาอังกฤษไปด้วย) เขาบอกกับแม่ด้วยฝันของวัยหนุ่มเลือดแรงว่า "บางทีอีกสิบปีข้างหน้า ตอนที่ผมกลับมา แม่จะได้เห็นปีกัสโซอีกคน!" (หน้า 81)
Ai มีพ่อเป็นกวีมีชื่อ พ่อของ Ai เรียนศิลปะในช่วงปี 30 ที่ปารีส และได้รับอิทธิพลอย่างมากจาก Apollinaire, Rimbaud กับ Baudelaire พอถึงช่วงปฏิวัติวัฒนธรรม ความโชคร้ายก็มาเยือน ทำให้เขาไม่สนับสนุนให้ Ai อ่านหนังสือและเผาหนังสือทิ้ง แถมพ่อยังถูกลงโทษให้ทำความสะอาดส้วมในฐานะปัญญาชน Ai เรียนวาดรูปกับศิลปินที่ถูกต่อต้านผู้เป็นเพื่อนกับพ่อ ตอนมาอเมริกาก็เป็นเพื่อนกับ Allen Ginsberg ทั้งคู่เจอกันตอน Allen อ่านบทกวีที่โบสถ์นักบุญมาร์คในนิวยอร์ก บทกวีเกี่ยวกับชาวจีน พออ่านจบ เดินผ่าน Ai เห็นว่า อ้าวชาวจีนนี่หว่า ทักกันหน่อยเดียว ถูกคอ และกลายเป็นว่าช��ตาเล่นตลก เพราะ Allen ก็เคยไปจีนและพบกับพ่อของ Ai ซึ่งในสมัยนั้นทั้งคู่สวมกอดกันดี นั่นเปิดประตูให้ Ai เข้าไปคลุกคลีกับกวีรุ่น Beat ของอเมริกัน หลังจากกลับจีน เขาก็สร้างบ้านสตูดิโอจากแรงบันดาลใจของวิทเก้นชไตน์ และในสัมภาษณ์หลายครั้งเขาบอกว่าวิทเก้นชไตน์นี่แหละแรงบันดาลใจหนึ่งเดียวของเขา แรงบันดาลใจดังกล่าวมาจากการออกแบบบ้านของวิทเก้นชไตน์ให้กับน้องสาวคนหนึ่ง ต่อมา Ai ออกแบบรังนกของจีนโอลิมปิกปักกิ่ง 2008 กับ Herzog และ de Meuron บริษัท sina.com ขอให้เขียนเว็บบล็อก มียอดผู้ชมบล็อกของเขาถึงวันละหนึ่งแสนคน กระทั่งถูกรัฐบาลสั่งปิดในปี 2009 พอถึงปี 2011 สำนักพิมพ์แห่ง MIT ก็แปลและตีพิมพ์บล็อกของแกออกมาเป็นภาษาอังกฤษ เกี่ยวกับ blog นี้ Ai เป็นปลื้มมาก และเป็นหนึ่งในหัวข้อที่สัมภาษณ์ซ้ำแล้วซ้ำเล่าหลายหน เพราะ blog เป็นช่องทางเสรีที่จะปลดปล่อยความคิด ชีวิตและกิจกรรมหลายอย่างของ Ai เผยให้เห็นว่าเขาเป็นคนที่ไม่ได้วางแผนอะไรจริงจังล่วงหน้า และมักอ้างว่าอยากเก็บความไร้เดียงสากับการไม่รู้เรื่องต่าง ๆ เอาไว้เป็นสมบัติประจำตัว เมื่อมีสถานการณ์แปลกใหม่ ตื่นเต้นเมื่อไร เขากระโดดลงไปเป็นผู้เล่นทันที เช่นกรณีถ่ายภาพยนตร์เกี่ยวกับ Yang นักโทษที่ถูกตัดสินประหารชีวิตจากคดีฆาตกรรมซึ่งเต็มไปด้วยความคลุมเครือ Ai ไม่ชอบฟังเพลงนะครับ เขาว่าความเงียบคือเพลงของเขา ครั้งหนึ่งได้รับเชิญให้ไปสอนที่มหาวิทยาลัย และด้วยความที่ไม่เคยเรียนจบอะไรมาเลย และไม่ค่อยชอบระบบการศึกษาเท่าไรนัก แต่เขายินดีรับโดยมีเงื่อนไขว่าจะต้องสอนกันบนรถบัสนะ ตอนออกจากจีนไปอเมริกาแบบแทบไม่มีเงินติดตัวและพูดภาษาอังกฤษไม่ได้ (ซึ่งทำให้เขาต้องทำงานหาเงินด้วยงานทุกอย่างเพื่อให้อยู่รอด และเรียนภาษาอังกฤษไปด้วย) เขาบอกกับแม่ด้วยฝันของวัยหนุ่มเลือดแรงว่า "บางทีอีกสิบปีข้างหน้า ตอนที่ผมกลับมา แม่จะได้เห็นปีกัสโซอีกคน!" (หน้า 81)
February 24, 2020
Jag gillar Ai Weiwei men boken hade mått bra av en strängare redaktör. Många av intervjuerna hade kunnat trimmas på vissa ställen, och kompletteras med fler frågor på andra.
Read
February 28, 2023Ai Weiwei Speaks: with Hans Ulrich Obrist (A Penguin Special) by Hans Ulrich Obrist (2011)
September 23, 2023
ele o livro todo aaaaaa eu odeio a chinaaaaa
November 20, 2024
Thoughts on life in China and artistic culture
June 3, 2014
I purchased this book after watching Ai Weiwei's (AWW) 2012 documentary "Never Sorry" (twice) on Netflix. I'm an admirer of AWW and his views on art, politics, and freedom of expression. However, while this book -- or rather an extended set of transcribed interviews with Hans Ulrich Obrist (HUO) -- had a few moments where AWW had the opportunity to let his deeper thoughts flow, they were few and far between.
As other comments have noted, there are several instances of bizarre repetition. For example, on two occasions HUO asks AWW James Lipton's ten "Inside the Actors Studio" questions to which AWW provides slightly different, but similar responses. Why include them both? That's not to mention the multi-page repetitious Q&As about the same periods in AWW's life. A proper interviewer should have had the guts to ask broader and deeper questions on a variety of issues; a proper editor should have encouraged clipping out repetitive segments for style and the readers' sake.
I was also irked when HUO went on for paragraphs about his own views rather than letting AWW speak his mind. For instance, I was surprised to see HUO take a unique turn towards the topic of poetry -- a lesser known joy of AWW. After receiving a beautiful response to the question, "how would you define poerty?" HUO writes, "Now I'd like to move on from poetry to something completely different - to architecture", after which he spends a page blabbering on about contemporary art and another interview he conducted which we don't care about. NOOO, you've already included four interviews focusing on architecture! Continue to ask some piercing questions on this new topic and see where it leads!
If you want to learn more about Ai Weiwei and his ideas, read the diversity of interviews he has given to foreign press around the world or watch his documentaries. Don't waste your time on this amateur work.
As other comments have noted, there are several instances of bizarre repetition. For example, on two occasions HUO asks AWW James Lipton's ten "Inside the Actors Studio" questions to which AWW provides slightly different, but similar responses. Why include them both? That's not to mention the multi-page repetitious Q&As about the same periods in AWW's life. A proper interviewer should have had the guts to ask broader and deeper questions on a variety of issues; a proper editor should have encouraged clipping out repetitive segments for style and the readers' sake.
I was also irked when HUO went on for paragraphs about his own views rather than letting AWW speak his mind. For instance, I was surprised to see HUO take a unique turn towards the topic of poetry -- a lesser known joy of AWW. After receiving a beautiful response to the question, "how would you define poerty?" HUO writes, "Now I'd like to move on from poetry to something completely different - to architecture", after which he spends a page blabbering on about contemporary art and another interview he conducted which we don't care about. NOOO, you've already included four interviews focusing on architecture! Continue to ask some piercing questions on this new topic and see where it leads!
If you want to learn more about Ai Weiwei and his ideas, read the diversity of interviews he has given to foreign press around the world or watch his documentaries. Don't waste your time on this amateur work.
February 8, 2016
Enkele interviews met Ai Weiwei, tussen 2006 en 2010. Dus éet voor zijn wereldwijde doorbraak met zijn installatie zonnebloempitten in de Turbine Hall van het Londense Tate Modern.
Vaak wordt Ai Weiwei enkel opgevoerd als politieke dissident/activist. In zijn interviews focust Hans Ulrich Obrist zich echter vooral op Weiwei's andere creatieve activiteiten. Zo was hij één van de allereerste grote bloggers - wat hij een 'sociale sculptuur' noemt, in de traditie van Joseph Beuys. Dat bloggen blijft hij vandaag de dag nog steeds doen, via zowat alle mogelijke social kanalen.
Maar daarnaast is hij ook een groot architect. Sinds hij zijn eigen atelier bouwde, werd hij prompt gepromoveerd tot China's grootste architect. En werd hij al snel uitgenodigd om tal van andere grootse architecturale werken neer te zetten. Het bekendste is het Olympische Stadion in Beijing, voor de Olympische Spelen.
Dus keuvelen de heren gezellig over blogs, architectuur, en het cureren van expo's. Doorheen de gesprekken ontplooit zich de persoonlijkheid van een fijnzinnige, aimabele, intelligente en humoristische man. Het boekje slaagt er ook in de creatieve duizendpoot die Ai Weiwei is, als consequente, hedendaagse, brede uomo universale neer te zetten.
Omdat de interviews quasi letterlijk zijn neergepend, passeren sommige anekdotes meermaals de revue. Maar dat hoeft niet te storen. De verhalen haken in elkaar in, door de tijd heen, en puzzelen een interessante persoonlijkheid in elkaar die Ai Weiwei in 2010 was. Aan de vooravond van de expo die hem in heel de wereld bekend zou maken.
Vaak wordt Ai Weiwei enkel opgevoerd als politieke dissident/activist. In zijn interviews focust Hans Ulrich Obrist zich echter vooral op Weiwei's andere creatieve activiteiten. Zo was hij één van de allereerste grote bloggers - wat hij een 'sociale sculptuur' noemt, in de traditie van Joseph Beuys. Dat bloggen blijft hij vandaag de dag nog steeds doen, via zowat alle mogelijke social kanalen.
Maar daarnaast is hij ook een groot architect. Sinds hij zijn eigen atelier bouwde, werd hij prompt gepromoveerd tot China's grootste architect. En werd hij al snel uitgenodigd om tal van andere grootse architecturale werken neer te zetten. Het bekendste is het Olympische Stadion in Beijing, voor de Olympische Spelen.
Dus keuvelen de heren gezellig over blogs, architectuur, en het cureren van expo's. Doorheen de gesprekken ontplooit zich de persoonlijkheid van een fijnzinnige, aimabele, intelligente en humoristische man. Het boekje slaagt er ook in de creatieve duizendpoot die Ai Weiwei is, als consequente, hedendaagse, brede uomo universale neer te zetten.
Omdat de interviews quasi letterlijk zijn neergepend, passeren sommige anekdotes meermaals de revue. Maar dat hoeft niet te storen. De verhalen haken in elkaar in, door de tijd heen, en puzzelen een interessante persoonlijkheid in elkaar die Ai Weiwei in 2010 was. Aan de vooravond van de expo die hem in heel de wereld bekend zou maken.
February 1, 2016
Ai Weiwei Speaks is an interesting look into Ai Weiwei's life, influences and projects. However, as it is a collation of interviews done over the course of several years, much content is repeated from interview to interview. I was fine with this when Ai was talking about his blog, or his life against the backdrop of China's Cultural Revolution, but less tolerant when Obrist kept rehashing other matters, such as Ai's forays into architecture.
In fact, Obrist's interviewing skills were less than impressive all round. Many times, he forcibly turned the topic away from something new and interesting, to something that had already been covered in a previous interview. Not only were his segues terrible, but he also often managed to clumsily intergrate name-dropping into his questioning:
Eric Hobsbawm was saying to me the other day...
The other day, speaking with Rem Koolhas...
Leon Golub once told me...
Give. Me. A. Break.
In fact, Obrist's interviewing skills were less than impressive all round. Many times, he forcibly turned the topic away from something new and interesting, to something that had already been covered in a previous interview. Not only were his segues terrible, but he also often managed to clumsily intergrate name-dropping into his questioning:
Eric Hobsbawm was saying to me the other day...
The other day, speaking with Rem Koolhas...
Leon Golub once told me...
Give. Me. A. Break.
October 17, 2013
Immediately read this book after visiting the According To What exhibit. There is no other book I have read which has more dog ears than this one so it's a challenge to choose one summarizing quote.Ai WeiWei is more than an artist; he makes one think. Hopefully more will act. I have discovered just the tip of the iceberg but it has made me think of the people of China, Syria, Egypt and all other silenced, oppressed places on the planet.
"We are living in an era in which nothing is clear, and a social situation that's more primitive, in which the individual still cannot express his will or her will. Communication in its most public sense, and discussion concerning the most fundamental questions, are impossible. Everyone, artists in particular, should think about why even today, the Chinese are still stuck in such a situation."
"We are living in an era in which nothing is clear, and a social situation that's more primitive, in which the individual still cannot express his will or her will. Communication in its most public sense, and discussion concerning the most fundamental questions, are impossible. Everyone, artists in particular, should think about why even today, the Chinese are still stuck in such a situation."
August 29, 2012
This small collection of interviews between Ai Weiwei and Hans Ulrich Obrist is a worthy read for anyone interested in contemporary art. I think the most interesting and informative interview was the fourth one in the book, called "The Retrospective." I learned the most about Ai Weiwei and his process in this interview. My only complaints are: (1) the book needs to be updated; the interviews seemed old, and (2) some of the interview questions are repetitive. But it is a great primary source text.
August 24, 2013
If I were to read it for the first time again, I would read each of the interviews on a separate day, like a 5-day marathon. The interviews cover some of the same ground, which is not really a problem, because the discussions are usually different. But since it's such a slim volume, I read it in one sitting, and got a little bit bored when I read what is essentially the same sentence a few times within the space of an hour. But the only problem with that is my method of reading, not the actual interviews.
August 25, 2015
"What turns you off?" Hans Ulrich Obrist asks Ai Weiwei. "Repetition," Ai responds.
A determination not to repeat himself is one of the things that makes Ai Weiwei such an interesting artist. It is unfortunate, then, that constant repetition makes this slim volume far less interesting than it should be.
These collected interviews are certainly interesting in parts, but as a whole this collection is somewhat insubstantial, skimming repeatedly over the same ground.
Worth reading, although it left me with a sense that, with a tighter editorial hand, it could have been so much better.
A determination not to repeat himself is one of the things that makes Ai Weiwei such an interesting artist. It is unfortunate, then, that constant repetition makes this slim volume far less interesting than it should be.
These collected interviews are certainly interesting in parts, but as a whole this collection is somewhat insubstantial, skimming repeatedly over the same ground.
Worth reading, although it left me with a sense that, with a tighter editorial hand, it could have been so much better.
December 26, 2011
Really small book that you could read in a day, it includes several interviews with artist/architect/writer Ai Weiwei. It mainly focuses on his architectural projects but it includes a lot on his thoughts on the current political and social situation in China. Highly recommend to those who don't know much about his work it can work as a small introduction.
October 16, 2012
Meh. Kinda of boring interview questions, and the responses don't translate well. I don't know if its Ai Weiwei's bad English or simply a poor translation. He sounds like a super interesting guy, but there's probably better sources out there from which to learn about him.
June 28, 2015
Brief introduction of Ai Weiwei's experience and thoughts. I'm intrigued to read more about him. Expected to see more witty questions from Obrist but it turned out to be alright. There are some repetitions which I don't mind much.
August 18, 2012
El personaje da mucho más de si. Falta chicha.
January 17, 2013
Very Interesting read. Loved it!
September 8, 2013
Excellent series of interviews with master interviewer Hans Ulrich Obrist - the more you read about this man, the more you wonder!
December 6, 2016
Slow to start but became more interesting as I read on, either way, it's impossible to encapsulate everything that is the wonderful Ai Weiwei in the few eleventy or so pages of this Penguin Special.
November 9, 2021
I didn't really know too much about Ai Weiwei before reading this book. But I enjoyed learning about him and his work - Definitely an artist I intend to research more about.
February 5, 2013
An interesting read, but quite a bit of the content kept reappearing.
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