For me, Ai Weiwei is the Duchamp of the 21st century: a modern, provocative creator of readymade ceramic art. But Ai is much more than that. He is an artist, human rights activist, provocateur, writer, architect, filmmaker, blogger and dissident.

Until March 3, 2024, a large-scale exhibition of one of the leading artists of the moment can be seen at the Kunsthal Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

At the beginning of the new year, we had the chance to visit this exhibition, and it was definitely worth it. Not only to be able to see the objects live, but especially to be confronted with the (in)humanity in China, Europe and other parts of the world. These are issues that Ai has been looking for throughout his career.

It is not for nothing that the exhibition bears the name “In Search of Humanity”. A search that is always topical, especially now that inhumane measures seems to have become the norm in Dutch politics.