"Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry" Trailer

Unwavering in his efforts, Ai Weiwei is just as much an artist as he is an activist. Over the course of his career, he has taken it upon himself to provide a voice and an outlet for his fellow people. In the upcoming trailer for Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, the documentary will take a walk into the inner workings of Ai Weiwei. Whether it would be his approach to art or his outspoken views on the processions of the Mainland Chinese government, he has taken it upon himself to make a difference. The documentary is set for premiere sometime later this year.

While Twitter has been banned for both censorship and protectionist reasons in China, Weiwei has been active in its use as shown throughout parts of the trailer. 140 characters through languages such as Chinese effectively equate into 140 words which allows for much broader discourse and dialog. The importance of his voice has led to others jumping on board to translate his tweets through the site Bird’s Nest: Ai Weiwei in English.

Source: SLAMXHYPE

From an overall perspective, what power can art really have in effectuating societal and governmental change as from the viewpoint of an art activist such as Ai Weiwei versus the Chinese government? Discuss below.