On the Tip of a Wave: How AI Weiwei's Art Is Changing the Tide

Lyrical free verse from Ho (Eyes That Kiss in the Corners) tells the story of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei (b. 1957), who knew what it was to live "on the tip of a wave, / far from home/ and always in danger" following a young life in a Chinese labor camp where "childhood/ blew past/ him like sand." At the story's center is the artist's 2016 public installation, Safe Passage, which over one night draped the pillars of Berlin's Konzerthaus with thousands of orange life jackets "salvaged from a neon mountain/ on an island/ in the Aegean Sea." The next day, at a star-studded film event, "on-lookers and/ gala-goers gawked" while the jackets "remembered/ the wave riders/ the world seemed to forget." In digitally finished pencil and pastel spreads, Chien (All the Beating Hearts) picks out in Day-Glo orange key elements of the artist's monumental installations--"Nine thousand backpacks... Too many toy bricks to count"--placing them against sweeping blue backgrounds that frequently emphasize people displaced "by currents/ they could not control." The creators treat with sophistication themes of political marginalization, creative risk-taking, and the power of art to shift sentiment. A concluding biography and photographs offer context. Ages 4-8. (Oct.)

PreS-Gr 3--Ai Weiwei is an artist born in China during the late 1950s, when government officials were trying to rid the country of academic individuals who didn't approve of the way they ran the country. Left with his family to live in a labor camp, Weiwei learned to survive by drawing and sculpting on the dirt walls of the hole his family inhabited in the desert. In his 20s, Weiwei was able to move to the United States to study art, only returning to China to be with his ailing father. Noticing a stark difference between China and the U.S. surprised Weiwei. He began creating art that spoke about humanity, namely refugees. Illustrated in pencil, pastels, and the use of digital, this book boasts the orange, blue, and white of the life vests worn by the refugees as they traveled by sea to seek solace in a new land where very few were welcomed. Back matter explains in detail about Weiwei's life and work. Inspiration is sprinkled throughout as the illustrator weaves examples of Weiwei's work on every page. "Establishing the understanding that we all belong to one humanity is the most essential step for how we might continue to coexist on the sphere we call Earth." VERDICT An outstanding biography of an important artist whose work challenges us to change the way we look at other human beings. This will guide deep discussions on borders and the plight of so many people around the world.--Tracy Cronce

Praise for On the Tip of a Wave:

Inspiring insights into how art can reify vital current issues. —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)