"The Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei quietly returned to China last month, after spending a decade in exile in Europe. The unexpected three-week trip to Beijing was Ai's first visit since authorities returned his confiscated passport in 2015, allowing him to start a new life abroad. Best known internationally for his outspoken opposition to the Chinese government and his art addressing state violence, censorship, and human rights, Ai has lived in Germany, the U.K., and Portugal since leaving China in 2015."
"Ai took to Instagram to share several photographs and videos from his three-week stay in Beijing, which was partly motivated by a desire for his 17-year-old son and 93-year-old mother to meet. In some videos with no audio, groups of friends and family appear relaxed as they sit and chat. In another, Ai smokes three cigarettes while plates piled high with food spin slowly round on a Lazy Susan."
Ai Weiwei returned to Beijing for a three-week visit, his first trip to China since authorities returned his confiscated passport in 2015. He has lived in Germany, the U.K., and Portugal during a decade in exile. The visit was partly to reunite his 17-year-old son with his 93-year-old mother. Ai posted photos and silent videos showing relaxed family gatherings and domestic scenes. He said speaking Chinese felt like reconnecting after a long disconnect. He reported being stopped, "inspected, and interrogated" for nearly two hours at Beijing's main airport, but said the questions were "very simple." The visit prompts questions about the limits of dissent.
Read at Artnet News
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