Ai Weiwei on freedom, responsibility and creating art

In this special episode of Dream Space, renowned artist and activist Ai Weiwei dreams of a world built on fairness and justice.

Guided by guest host and Factory International Chief Executive John McGrath, Ai Weiwei talks about freedom of speech, the responsibility of artists to speak up and how China has changed since his youth.

Flipping the Dream Space script, Ai describes revisiting his nightmare space in Sewing a Button – a 24-hour live re-enactment of his secret detention in China. Ai reflects on the relationship between dreams and reality, recalling his lively, brightly-coloured dreams during detention.

Ai Weiwei is known around the world for his uncompromising artistic vision and political activism. From a childhood in exile to surviving secret detention in China, his remarkable life and career have led him to global prominence. In Button Up!, a major new exhibition at Aviva Studios, Ai turns his critical gaze to the last 200 years of history, power and empire.

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