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Ai Weiwei Sewing a Button: Review
A critical review of Ai’s performance in Manchester, July 2026.
In 2011, Ai Weiwei was detained by Chinese authorities, blindfolded with a bag over his head, and transported to a secret detention facility in Beijing. He was held for 81 days under 24-hour surveillance, in a windowless 170-square-foot cell, while the world questioned his wellbeing. He thought that he was going to die.
Following international outcry, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) stated that his detention was related to allegations of tax evasion, although Ai has said that he was rarely questioned about money during his interrogations. Most likely, the real reason for Ai’s detainment was his public criticism of the government, which the CCP have a long and sustained history of unjustly punishing people for.
Upon his release, Ai was banned from talking to journalists, meeting any foreigner, human rights lawyer or anyone in politics, and banned from posting on social media. Since then, he has lived in exile and continued his politically-charged art making. 15 years on, Ai Weiwei has staged a recreation of his time in detention, expected to shock audiences and raise discussions on Chinese state control.
This is my review.
