Ai Weiwei heads to Europe, but experiences U.K. visa problems
Chinese artist and critic of the Chinese regime Ai Weiwei arrives from Beijing at Munich Airport in Germany with his son Ai Lao and partner Wang Fen on July 30.
Ai Weiwei has arrived in Europe and is visiting his son in Germany this week, according to a close associate of the internationally renowned Chinese artist.
But Ai’s plans to visit Britain have hit a snag with a visa issue, prompting the outspoken artist to once again take to social media in protest.
Last week, Ai reclaimed his passport that Chinese officials had seized in 2011, when the artist was arrested as he was about to travel from Beijing to Hong Kong. Since then, he has been unable to travel abroad to oversee exhibitions of his work.
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Now that he has his passport, the artist has made a priority of seeing his 6-year-old son, Ai Lao, who lives in Germany with his mother, confirmed Larry Warsh, a New York associate of the artist. In addition, Ai has a studio in Berlin that he will likely visit during his stay.
Warsh said that Ai will most likely have a medical checkup while in Germany. The artist experienced a brain injury six years ago and underwent surgery. Ai has stated that the injury is due to a physical attack by Chinese police who accosted him when he was in the Sichuan province to testify in a matter relating to the 2008 earthquake.
The artist has had a long affinity for Germany, having worked and traveled there extensively in the past.
Ai’s other travel plans while in Europe remain unclear but the artist posted on Instagram on Thursday a letter from British immigration officials in Beijing saying that his application for a six-month business visit visa has been rejected and that he is only being granted a stay of about three weeks.
The letter, dated July 29, claims that Ai has failed to disclose a criminal conviction in the past. The artist said in a separate Instagram post that he has “never been charged or convicted for a crime,” adding that he attempted to clarify this matter with officials over several telephone conversations.
“But the representatives insisted on the accuracy of their sources and refused to admit any misjudgment,” the post reads.
In 2011, Chinese officials arrested and detained Ai for 81 days. The government also launched a tax case against his company. Ai has been an outspoken proponent of free speech and online activism, and has had a number of run-ins with Chinese officials
Ai is expected to travel to London to work on a major solo exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts. The show, dedicated to the artist’s body of work, is scheduled to run Sept. 19 to Dec. 13.
Warsh said Ai could also travel to France because he has partnered with the Musée du Louvre in Paris for the exhibition “A Brief History of the Future,” scheduled to open in September.
Later this year, the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, in Australia will launch the exhibition “Andy Warhol / Ai Weiwei,” which will explore the influences and parallels between the two conceptual artists.
Ai has frequently cited Warhol as his biggest artistic influence. The show is scheduled to come to the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh in June 2016.
Twitter: @DavidNgLAT
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