Button

I spent time at an exhibition by the conceptual Chinese dissident artist, Ai Weiwei. From a wall of bombs made out of Lego, flags made from buttons, to a boat of refugees entirely made of rubber from the small, flimsy vessels, the scale of his ideas and output is ravenous and huge. A few weeks ago I’d seen him in a segment of performance art, where he reenacted 81 days in detention in 24 hrs. It was mesmerising seeing him take power from the two Chinese guards assigned to watch closely over him, to see them march him the length of his cell. Who was in prison? All of them, but only he had the freedom of thought. Incredible.