Brands looking to create social change can learn a lot from Ai Weiwei
Dubbed 'China's most dangerous man', artist and cultural phenomenon Ai Weiwei's current exhibition at The Royal Academy of Arts has received so much attention that it's been granted a 56-hour, round-the-clock finale next weekend. Last Friday night, I went to see what all the fuss was about, and what advertising can learn from the man of the moment.
It's often said that advertising is dead, and that brands now have to create a 'movement' to be successful. Brands are now building customer loyalty through shared values and social responsibility in order to create change.
Weiwei's exhibition was a lesson in breaking the rules, challenging perception, and the power of the Internet. He isn't just an artist that makes things - he's an artist that makes things happen. Everything he does demands a reaction. He wants change and nothing will get in his way.
The exhibition had an unparalleled array of fascinating work, including the bold statement behind his distorted antique furniture, making it completely unusable. He also painted a Coca-Cola logo on a Neolithic vase, blurring the notions between history and global branding.
In another piece, Weiwei is pictured dropping a Han Dynasty Urn, which reflects the destruction of China's history in pursuit of economic development.
One piece I found deeply moving was a memorial for the 2008 Sichuan earthquake victims called 'Straight'. During the earthquake, over 20 schools collapsed and more than 5,000 students died. 'Straight' represents the poor construction of schools in China. 150 tons of steel bars were used to replicate the materials the schools were made from. Many said their poor construction was down to corruption.
After the earthquake, the government refused to say how many students had been killed. Weiwei believed this information belonged to the public and they deserved to know the truth. Weiwei took it upon himself to collect the names of the students by launching a citizen's investigation through his blog.
Volunteers went to every town asking for names of the dead. They identified 5,212 victims whose names formed part of the memorial. For Weiwei, this wasn't just about art; it was about life, death and the fight for truth.
Following this act, he became under government surveillance and he took to Twitter to bypass China's Great Wall of censorship.
Weiwei believes that social media gives ordinary people the power to change public opinion. When he was later arrested, he used Twitter to protest against the authorities. He tweeted a photo of his struggle with police officers and within hours the photo went viral. He continued to tweet photo evidence of every blow he encountered, captioned with statements like "You said you wanted proof? Here you go Officer 7998." Weiwei was incarcerated for 81 days without any official charges.
Five months after his release, Beijing tax authorities gave Weiwei a tax bill for $2.4 million USD. At the same time, Art Review magazine named him the most powerful artist of the year.
It's clear to see why Weiwei considers himself more of a chess player than an artist. His strategic battle with the Chinese government has meant his every move, every tweet and every Instagram post has become art in itself - intentional or not.
His work proves that brave and bold movements create the biggest impact, and creativity in the right context gives us the power to make change. He uses art to expose issues and fight for social justice. And as Weiwei says - art always wins.
Lee Manton is a senior art director at Lowe Open