As the title suggests, "Conversations" contains a number of conversations between Chinese artist and political activist Ai Weiwei and different members of the American art and intellectual circles. Raw and insightful, through them we learn a lot about the artist, his influences, politics, and views.

I received a free e-ARC from the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ai Weiwei has been on my radar ever since I had a discussion about him in class at university. At the time he was under house arrest and we were talking about the links between art and activism, especially in the context of China.
These six conversations between took place between Ai Weiwei and various art critics and journalists took place in the context of his 2017 exhibition 'Good Fences Make Good Neighbours.'
While I found parts of these conversations repetitive (which is the nature of interviews in my opinion), for the most part I was absolutely riveted. It was interesting to learn more about Ai Weiwei's background (family, career etc.), as well as the connections between his art (including film) and activism. He has a big personality that goes with his big ideas, and it was fascinating to see more of the man behind the curtain.
I'd recommend this book to fans of his work, as well as anyone with an interest in modern art, and even activism. I would recommend reading each conversation with a bit of time in between due to the repetition of material.

In these six interviews, we get to know more about WeiWei. Some of the interviews overlapped in substance.
I disagree with him on several points, but understand how he got there, and how his activism made such an impact.
He seems very full of himself, which was a bit exhausting to hear. I would have loved more in depth questions on his art.

With artists, it is not often that we get to understand the meaning behind their art, and that's why I found this book of conversations very illuminating: the man, his work, his activism - all these are so much more clear through these dialogues. And definitely worth mentioning that the critics and journalists with whom Weiwei is discussing are not merely asking questions (even if, from conversation to conversation they do seem a bit repetitive), but they are actually extremely knowledgeable. Thought-provoking and oh, man, Ai Weiwei is actually funny, it never occurred to me!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy.

This collection of interviews gave interesting insight into Ai Weiwei's thoughts, particularly around issues of immigration and the refugee crisis in Europe, and his artistic process more broadly. It was interesting to get more information into his thoughts about his work and how he approaches it. I found the way he describes himself as not very creative and that his art is more straightforward as very interesting. I also enjoyed seeing photographs of his public art installations in New York that I've never seen in person.

This is the type of book that's even difficult to rate. Ai Weiwei is one of the greatest artists nowadays and it was a delight to read a book about his interviews, specially when we consider that he's such a controversial person.

I was glad to read both versions of Ai Weiwei that merge in only one: the artist and the activist. He speaks not only about his art, but about the world that surround us, the wold we know and that we don't, he speaks a lot about the politics in our every day life and how art is politcs and the other way around. So, when we read the book, it all makes sense, if Ai Weiwei talks about politics, he's also talking about art.

It's been a few years that I saw one of his exhibits when it came to my city for the last and first time and it was great to remember his works and to feel the need to know those I didn't, including his documentaries. And it was also amazing to know more about the story of his life, even if it can get a little repetitive.

The only negative side of this book for me was that I wish it was a little longer so Ai Weiwei could develop some of the subjects a bit longer, but overall it's totally worth it.

These six public discussions were held in conjunction with Ai Wei Wei's "Good Fences Make Good Neighbors" exhibition in 2017. Working with the Public Art Fund a variety of Wei Wei's work was publicly displayed in every borough of New York. The conversations were held with opposites of different specialties - art, architecture, politics, etc. They range over those topics and more in a conversational manner. Certainly there are insights into Wei Wei's past, his methods and interests, but it's also clear that there is much more to the man than any public discussion will ever reveal. There are glimpses of his humor, pragmatism and some of the emotions that drive his work. It's all an easy, enjoyable read that is also thought provoking.

As an art historian, I regard Ai Weiwei as one of the most interesting artists and personalities of our time. I never get bored of following his work, visiting his exhibitions, or reading about his work. Naturally, I was very excited to read and review this publication beforehand - thanks to Netgalley! Reading interviews is a great way to learn more about a particular artist, especially if they have so much to tell about, just like Ai Weiwei. I read many books on / by Ai Weiwei, including his interviews with Hans Ulrich Obrist, his blog entries and his books of quotes.

I believe this publication is a great extension to your library, if you are enthusiastic about his work like me. I would especially recommend it to someone, who is already somewhat familiar with his earlier work and his career in China, as well as to those, who are curious about his work on refugee crisis and his recent film 'Human Flow'. The only downside of this collection of interviews is that it gets repetitive on certain topics every now and then, but I also think this is very normal since these interviews weren't conducted with a prior agreement between interviewers. Otherwise, this book allows you to learn more about what Ai Weiwei was up to since he received his passport back in 2015 and left China, in a very easy-to-read format.

I appreciate this book, as it puts into writing verbal interviews which would otherwise not be available. It is interesting to see how Ai Weiwei's thoughts progress from one topic to the next. The amount of different artwork he's produced is astonishing and these interviews show in some parts how multifaceted his mind is, In certain instances he mades jumps which are difficult to follow and maybe some explanatory footnotes would be helpful. But on the other hand, if one is interested in his story one can also start researching his art and his life.

Thought provoking and engaging. I was looking forward to reading this book and it was a pleasure. I am very familiar with the artist's work and have been intigused with his use of political activism as seen through the 'eyes' of art. The artist clearly makes his points known as he provides an often breath taking visual that isn't always pretty- but the outcome drives the point home.
I enjoyed the format of interview questions with answers. The artist has a somewhat quiet, reserved demeanor and I believe the interviewer helped draw him out, so he was able to expand on his premise of using art as a vehicle for change. Or at the very least, raise the question.

I enjoyed reading th backstory of his life, which brought him to present day-oppresion in China. He as wel as his father struggled, both artists, writers who believe in the power of using art as a vehicle of self expression and change.

Thank you NetGalley, Ai WeiWei and Columbia University Press for the opportunity to read this compelling book.

jb
https://seniorbooklounge.blogspot.com/

Given Brazil’s politics these days, "Conversations" was a really bittersweet reading. Some of his thoughts and experiences would feel like a warning sign for something we’re just starting to notice around us, even though we’re talking about governments at opposite ends of the political spectrum.

I confess that although I knew Ai Weiwei’s work, and, therefore, parts of his personal life, there were other things I wasn’t aware of. And his sense of humour was one of them. I especially liked the way he would be able to explore diverse thoughts on some very similar questions – and it’s funny how we often ask the same things expecting a different answer.

Here, very special interviewers, such as the director of the Design Museum in London, Tim Marlow, talk to Weiwei about his thoughts on refugees, art, architecture, different points of view concerning freedom (and freedom of speech), and how creating fences is always a bad choice.

Gladly, I took my time with “Conversations". So I’d read one interview on one day and return to it sometimes after a day, sometimes after a week. Because of that, even when they were on similar topics, it wouldn’t seem repetitive.

Highly recommended for people invested in art talks, activism, and maybe even sociology.

A friend of mine got a copy of this book and was talking about it which made me curious.

I've heard about Ai Weiwei before but I knew pretty much nothing about him or his works, so I dived into this without knowing what to expect (besides what my friend had already showed me). Now I can tell you with certain I'm in love with him and his work, and the way he talks and expresses himself.

In "Conversations" you'll read about his work as an artist and as an architect, about China, about how the westnern society sees freedom as an individual thing rather than a collective and that always sounds strange to him (it is very strange if you ask me). I ended up wanting to seek all his work to study and appreciate it, and already reccomended it to at least four other people.

The only "negative" thing I have to say about it it's that I think it works much better if you don't read it all at once like I did. A lot of the questions are similar and it can sound repetitive. I'd suggest taking your time with it.