Following the arrest of Ai Weiwei by Chinese authorities in 2011, the graffiti artist Tangerine (Tang Chen) stencilled Ai’s image across Hong Kong, repeatedly asking a simple but provocative question: Who’s afraid of Ai Weiwei? The phrase quickly became a rallying cry, positioning Ai as one of the most visible symbols of resistance to state repression in contemporary China.

This illustrated lecture explores Ai Weiwei’s role within a broader community of artists who challenged censorship and control, often through coded and covert forms of expression. Alongside Ai’s work, the talk examines the practices of his friends and peers from the Beijing East Village art community, many of whom took significant personal risks in asserting artistic freedom.

Barry Venning is an art historian whose teaching and research span late medieval European art to global contemporary practice. He has published widely on artists including Turner and Constable, European landscape painting, and British visual satire, and maintains a strong research interest in postcolonial art. Barry has worked as a consultant and associate lecturer for the Open University, and his media contributions include BBC television documentaries, radio programs for BBC local radio and ABC Australia, and a Tate-produced DVD on Turner.