Ai Weiwei and Austria – short but good
Surprising encounters with the Chinese world artist, in the toilet of the Albertina and on the summit of the Dachstein.
Ai Weiwei is extremely relaxed during his short visit to Vienna. It is a pleasure to listen to him on the sidelines of his exhibition in the Albertina Modern, preparing for the “Presse am Sonntag” on March 27, which he is “curating”. Many references to Austria do not come to mind. Until you stand with him in front of the Wittgensteinhaus and learn that this philosopher influenced him like no other. Until you read on Instagram – no, it’s not procrastinating with Ai Weiwei, he spends 80 percent of his time on his work in social media – that the curator of a favorite Viennese exhibition met the artist in the Albertina toilet. In 2016, Alfred Weidinger installed the Ming ancestral hall rescued by Ai Weiwei in the 21er house. Today he is director of the Upper Austrian State Museums and is on his way to the Ukraine to pick up an artist. Ai Weiwei reached into his pocket and gave him four porcelain sunflower seeds from his Tate Modern installation – for good luck.
Dietmar Sailer, Werner Kogler’s cultural advisor, also had his Ai Weiwei moment in the Albertina. He presented Austria with the artist’s only work in public space to date. Very few will know: to the Styrian culture festival “regionale”, which Sailer broadcast in 2010, Ai Weiwei sent a four-ton stone from the earthquake in Sichuan, whose tragedy he made unforgettable both as an activist and as an artist. The rock was flown to the Dachstein, triggered enormous discussions, brought the Chinese mentality to Styria and vice versa. “It’s interesting how ideas can translate into reality,” Ai Weiwei commented in the “Presse” interview at the time. Now he to Sailer: The campaign taught him how a project has to be in order for it to be good.