After being jailed by the Chinese government in 2011, and his work censored in the country, the dissident artist Ai Weiwei received his passport back this week.
“My heart is at peace,” the artist said in an interview with CNN. “I feel quite released.”
Although unable to travel abroad, Ai, who is known for contemporary art that asserts free speech and human rights, still managed to mount a major exhibition in San Francisco without ever setting foot in the city. @ Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz was curated by Cheryl Haines, founder of the For-Site Foundation located in San Francisco, and a friend of Ai. Haines spoke with KQED about her remote collaboration with the artist on @Large and the significance of Ai’s ability to travel freely again.
Alcatraz saw nearly 900,000 visitors, many of them Bay Area residents, during the exhibition’s run from Sep. 27, 2014 to Apr. 26, 2015, Haines said.