Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry Page #2

Where are they being detained?

It's not that they

are being detained, exactly...

You took them away! You can't say

that you don't know where they are.

It hurts so much.

It's like my head is splitting open.

It was like this back in China, too,

but I thought if I waited it would get better.

F*** you, Notherland.

The End

When he was unexpectedly hit in Sichuan,

I was terrified.

It was something I never imagined.

For us, life and work are mixed together.

That's because our home and our work

are in the same place.

So being together, getting along

for so many years, 16 years...

it's pretty special.

Collecting antiques

was one of our father's hobbies.

This love for antiques eventually

became a part of Weiwei's art.

He started smashing pottery.

Things from our past

often influence our future.

There are reasons behind some things.

Did your family influence you?

I don't really think

my family influenced me very much.

Could we visit your mother

to ask her about you?

That wouldn't be good. She's too old.

How she sees me isn't who I really am.

Here's an idea!

Just find a random person to be my mum.

It'll be fine. Just ask about her own son,

then write my name instead.

I could write a contract.

It'll say, "I authorise you

to interview any random mother."

Then you can say it's an artwork of mine.

- Weiwei?

- Yes?

- Look. We have guests today.

- Hello, hello.

How's your head?

Well, it was treated, and now it's fine.

I'm very lucky.

I almost died.

How does it feel,

seeing all these articles about your son?

I feel very proud.

Because he speaks out

for the average citizen.

I wish he would just be purely an artist.

One person cannot solve

the problems of the whole country.

But if everyone

ignores the country's problems,

what will happen?

Num, let me give you a DVD.

It's about the earthquake investigation

to collect the names.

Watch for a bit and you'll understand.

Over 5,000 students died

and they didn't have to.

So you are searching for the cause?

Yes, think of their families.

You understand, you're a teacher.

They were their parents' only child.

From three-year-olds

to students about to start college.

Their farmer parents put all their hope

and resources into them.

Some very bright kids.

One loud boom and they're gone.

You have to investigate

if there was shoddy tofu construction.

Every night I can't sleep.

- What are you doing? There's no need...

- I'm worried they'll bully you.

If they want to get me, they will.

There's nothing we can do about that.

No, those people...

I'm worried that Nummy

won't see you again.

Don't worry, I'm not afraid.

How can that be? Aren't you human?

We all endure what we can.

I've thought this out clearly.

You say this so lightly.

So what can you do?

- Well, you're my son.

- So what? Come on, this is unnecessary.

This isn't necessary.

You don't need to worry.

There's no need for this.

Many people say that

the government doesn't touch him

because he has so much foreign support.

But didn't they still beat him up?

Didn't they still silence him?

The government isn't afraid of anyone.

If the government was afraid of someone,

it wouldn't be the government anymore.

Liu Xiaobo was not convicted

for his thoughts.

Liu Xiaobo, by doing things

like publishing his essays online,

incited the overthrow

of China's political power and system.

This violates Article 1 05 of the Criminal Law of the People's

Republic of China.

This is the crime

of inciting subversion of state power.

After he was punched,

we kept writing to the

Chengdu Public Security Bureau.

But they never gave us a response.

Hello. We are here to file a case.

- Oh, you're Ai Weiwei.

- Yes.

- Oh, now I get it.

- Now you get it.

Hand me a DVD of Lao Na Ti Hua.

This is for you to watch.

It's a film we did about what happened.

- About what happened?

- Yeah.

Your company affiliation?

None. I'm an independent artist.

Can you state what you are here for?

I was assaulted here.

I'm here to report...

my assault and...

I'm mainly here to report my assault.

You don't want to sit?

No.

Today Nr Ai Weiwei came here

because he was hit.

We hope you will

start an investigation soon.

- Does this get mixed in?

- It's for dipping.

I was one of his earliest

and most loyal fans.

Did you know they call us "Ai fans"?

- Teacher Ai?

- Yes.

I follow you on Twitter.

- Have a seat.

- I'm not staying.

I'm completely content

now that I've seen you.

Thank you.

We'll go as soon as we finish eating.

We think Chengdu food is best

when it's eaten outside.

We came all the way from Beijing.

What time do you think

you'll be finished eating?

It'd be good for us to know.

When we finish this, we'll go inside, OK?

How much longer will that be?

Half an hour.

Weiwei has a hooligan side.

So he knows

how to deal with other hooligans.

Because the Communist Party

are just hooligans, really.

So you have to turn yourself

into a hooligan as well.

He didn't say anything.

He didn't take anything when he left either.

He just wanted to leave.

He had hours and hours

of free time every day.

We'd be out and he'd suddenly say,

"Atlantic City is calling me

to go gambling!"

Why did Weiwei and I come to New York?

We came here to have this great collision, so to speak.

He used his camera like it was his diary.

I saw one of his works at Cohen's place.

The profile of a face

he made from a coat hanger.

I really liked it.

I saw him on a hunger strike.

During his hunger strike,

he tied something around his head.

He wrote "F*** your mother" on it.

He stayed like that

at the UN building for several days.

Sure, he worked hard

during those 12 years in New York,

but he didn't have anything to show for it.

He explained that his dad was old and sick.

He wanted to be at home.

What are those?

These are some of our documentaries.

Here's Lao Na Ti Hua,

also the Sichuan earthquake film,

and my Fairytale piece.

I'll give you four of each,

you can share them

with your colleagues at the magazine.

Great.

In an interview, you once said,

"We became more human after the '80s."

Freedom is a pretty strange thing.

Once you've experienced it,

it remains in your heart,

and no one can take it away.

Then, as an individual,

you can be more powerful

than a whole country.

Back then,

people were very depressed.

This is the first issue

of the Black Cover Book, from 1 994.

It was a very free space.

You could write anything.

Weiwei's three books -

the Black, White and Gray Cover Books -

were very important

for Chinese contemporary art.

All three books have

my poetry and lyrics in them.

In that, his wife held her skirt up

in Tiananmen Square.

We'd stand by art galleries and ask people, "Hey, are you

interested in this book?"

So we'd sell them secretly.

It was very tense.

It was like an adventure.

I always thought of the books

as an exhibition on paper.

They also introduced artists

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