ON THE TIP OF A WAVE

An eloquent tribute to the ways this renowned Chinese artist has worked to shed light on the international refugee crisis.

Having spent much of his youth as a forcibly relocated person in China and so knowing what it’s like to live (as Ho puts it in a paraphrased comment from the artist’s mother) “on the tip of a wave, far from home and always in danger,” Ai Weiwei has not only personally helped crowds of refugees coming ashore on an Aegean island, but created widely viewed art to highlight their plight—notably Safe Passage, an installation made up of hundreds of their discarded life jackets. Chien’s sensitive, impressionistic scenes pop with the bright orange of those jackets and also the deep blue in flowing brushed lines both of water and of hazy adults and children fleeing wars and natural disasters with little beyond “memories, fears, hopes, and dreams.” In the simply phrased main narrative and a substantial afterword, author and illustrator also follow Ai’s career as he learned to turn the “dignity in his hands” to striking, memorable art made from simple items, from one coat hanger to thousands of backpacks and millions of hand-painted sunflower seeds. Several inset stills from his recent video documentaries likewise commemorate how he has “invited the world to take action” and “helped the world remember humanity.” (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Inspiring insights into how art can reify vital current issues.