In Betweenness: The Space Where Truth Lies by Yenah Kim and Zosia Kierkus
featured in the ArkTalks Magazine Royal College of Arts
We’re taking a moment to pause and gather our thoughts and reflections after the talk between Ai Weiwei and Dr Kareem Estefan, organised by The Social Canvas Projects and The Fitzwilliam Museum Society. The event took place on the 17th of January and it’s a part of The Social Canvas Project's Art Politics series, a sequence of interdisciplinary projects, which aim to provide a platform for contemporary creative artists to explore the intersection of creative arts and politics through the materialisation of political discourse and presentation of creative works.
Ai Weiwei is discussing his beginnings with using the Internet as a medium, blogging online, censorship and propaganda in communist China. Ai is also sharing his reflections on freedom of speech, human rights and why being an artist is a privilege. 10 years later, he is meeting with the editor of the Creative Times Report.
Through the lens of “in-betweenness” we’re looking at artist’s relationship with technology, Artificial Intelligence and their influence in truth-seeking. We discuss what can ‘freedom of expression’ mean today and what’s the role of art in creating spaces for freedom and respect. We’re also thinking about mediating spaces where different perspectives mean and if there is a place for collective “truth seeking” at all.
Over decades, Weiwei’s practices have been conveying the artist’s continuous endeavour in search of the truth. His journey to locating the truth translates into his latest work Ai vs AI, broadcasted by CIRCA through Piccadilly Lights in London for 81 days. Ai vs AI is the artist's first time collaborating with AI as a tool for his practice. Every evening at 20:24 in the flickering billboard lights at the centre of Piccadilly Circus, the artist addresses the question—Why am I here? Is true democracy possible? Are you controlled by the privileged class? In those ongoing questions, AI answers, and we reflect.
We are living in a time of facing global humanitarian emergencies. Information and content around social, political, and cultural issues are constantly shaping and polarising in the media. In a world where information is continuously pouring in, locating the truth seems challenging.
Some things see more clearly when you blur the lines. So the truth does. To blur those lines between right and wrong and to pave the way for searching for the truth, the artist starts to ask questions. During the talk, he says: “Everybody has the right to ask questions. ... This is not about freedom of speech. This is about freedom of questions. Everybody has the right to ask questions. Questions are important because they relate to our personal stories.”
Could we truly say we are living in a world where we have freedom of speech and the right to express different points of view? Felt frustrated under the circumstances that the artist has experienced both in China and the West, Weiwei found a way to express his freedom of speech and right to ask questions by utilising technology and AI. During the talk, he says: “If humans will ever be liberated, it will be because we ask the right questions, not provide the right answers. ... So if you don’t have freedom of speech, at least have freedom to ask questions. I ask the questions to AI and AI answers.” As he mentioned, asking the questions to AI, the artist himself, and ourselves might be the way of seeking truth.
However, he clarified the difference between humans and AI when it comes to the way of seeking the truth. For the artist, inviting AI into the practice is like working with any other tool that is under human control. AI is trained to analyse a large dataset and identify the keywords of texts and patterns of code. Therefore, “as technology accelerates the speed and accuracy of the existing information, the answer is fast.” On the other hand, the truth exists in diverse types and forms for us as a human: “There are many different types of truth, there are facts, truth in opinion and perspective, and social events, and also there is a very different truth related to aesthetics and moral judgement, and also in philosophy.” As Weiwei says, knowledge comes from the endless decisions to make, and the answer is as ever-changing as the truth is. In those questions, there is no right and wrong. Therefore, our answers and the truth exist in the space in between.
It is important for us to have open and free space to breathe so that truth can transform and traverse freely between the differences. And these open spaces come from embracing the in-betweenness in which truth exists. In these spaces the truths will start to form slowly by asking the questions, reflecting on them, and having the will and right to express.
Perhaps the question is: for what truths do we want to make space for? Or how to position ourselves in between these different truths?
In November 2023, Lisson Gallery indefinitely postponed Weiwei’s solo show, just after he shared his comment on the situation in Gaza. The gallery made a statement that the show was postponed as a mutual decision after extensive discussions with the artist. Asked about his perspective, Weiwei says “When in general the West thinks they have freedom of expression, I think it’s the biggest lie - you don’t have freedom of expression. If you say something and it brings you trouble, that means you don’t have freedom of expression. You have to respect different opinions - and it’s not about what is right or wrong, it’s about having a right to say what you really think.” Understanding Weiwei’s experience and history with censorship and repression from the Chinese government, it’s interesting to now hear his opinion about limitations on freedom, happening in the West.
Where can we find the momentum where we can share our truths with respect to the other opinions? It’s not as simple as it sounds - we all want to have freedom of expression and for our opinion to be heard and respected - at the same time it’s not easy for all the entities to accept particular opinions as they might not be aligning with their ethos. Freedom also has to find its own space. And I believe a space where freedom can be secured is also a space full of respect and understanding. And that is the challenge of our times.
What can art do?
How can art become a space for mediation in the in-betweenness of perspectives? How can we secure freedom of speech, but at the same time secure that what is being expressed is not harmful for any side? I think in the end, it all comes to being a human and sharing our feelings and observations with others. There is something really concerning nowadays with the need of exposing our opinions. Don’t get me wrong, I do support freedom of public expression, but what social media and digital platforms are gradually doing to us, is instead of finding common ground and sense of togetherness in these heartbreaking times for humanity, they’re imposing a declaration on one of the polars. And what it does is definitely not helping the fight for freedom and peace. Not everything is black or white, and I believe that’s the urgency of the arts now - to mediate in between these polars and to bring people together to seek universal truths that empower our feeling of humanity and unity, instead of dividing us into other conflicts and wars. These kinds of spaces are so important for the growth of our society and for enriching the transnational debate on universal values that are important to all of us.
This is the urgency of the arts now. To create a safe space for freedom of expression to take place. Instead of finding the diversity and opposed views as problematic, maybe we can start treating them as a potential for enriching our culture and reforming the societal structures. As Weiwei said in the beginning “There are many different types of truths (...)”, and maybe it’s time to embrace it.
Even though the truth has different types and forms from each perspective, it shares a common ground: a sense of common humanity. And truth grows in the freedom of expression and the act of questioning and asking. I believe freedom and the truth find their own space in the “ in-betweenness”. In this fluid space where the line between right and wrong is blurred, the different types of truth intersect with each other on the soft ground of humanity that consists of understanding and embracing differences. And they will continuously and freely traverse and cross away from each other.
As his work Ai vs AI shows, AI answers. However, we, as humans, have a will to ask and reflect. As we would never know where the river begins and where the waves of the ocean start from and end, truth is constantly forming and changing by asking and reflecting. So, let these spaces of in-betweenness freely flow by asking questions, thinking and searching for the truth. Here, in the space in between, the truth and freedoms shall sprout.
read whole issue here
featured in the ArkTalks Magazine Royal College of Arts
We’re taking a moment to pause and gather our thoughts and reflections after the talk between Ai Weiwei and Dr Kareem Estefan, organised by The Social Canvas Projects and The Fitzwilliam Museum Society. The event took place on the 17th of January and it’s a part of The Social Canvas Project's Art Politics series, a sequence of interdisciplinary projects, which aim to provide a platform for contemporary creative artists to explore the intersection of creative arts and politics through the materialisation of political discourse and presentation of creative works.
Ai Weiwei is discussing his beginnings with using the Internet as a medium, blogging online, censorship and propaganda in communist China. Ai is also sharing his reflections on freedom of speech, human rights and why being an artist is a privilege. 10 years later, he is meeting with the editor of the Creative Times Report.
Through the lens of “in-betweenness” we’re looking at artist’s relationship with technology, Artificial Intelligence and their influence in truth-seeking. We discuss what can ‘freedom of expression’ mean today and what’s the role of art in creating spaces for freedom and respect. We’re also thinking about mediating spaces where different perspectives mean and if there is a place for collective “truth seeking” at all.
Over decades, Weiwei’s practices have been conveying the artist’s continuous endeavour in search of the truth. His journey to locating the truth translates into his latest work Ai vs AI, broadcasted by CIRCA through Piccadilly Lights in London for 81 days. Ai vs AI is the artist's first time collaborating with AI as a tool for his practice. Every evening at 20:24 in the flickering billboard lights at the centre of Piccadilly Circus, the artist addresses the question—Why am I here? Is true democracy possible? Are you controlled by the privileged class? In those ongoing questions, AI answers, and we reflect.
We are living in a time of facing global humanitarian emergencies. Information and content around social, political, and cultural issues are constantly shaping and polarising in the media. In a world where information is continuously pouring in, locating the truth seems challenging.
Some things see more clearly when you blur the lines. So the truth does. To blur those lines between right and wrong and to pave the way for searching for the truth, the artist starts to ask questions. During the talk, he says: “Everybody has the right to ask questions. ... This is not about freedom of speech. This is about freedom of questions. Everybody has the right to ask questions. Questions are important because they relate to our personal stories.”
Could we truly say we are living in a world where we have freedom of speech and the right to express different points of view? Felt frustrated under the circumstances that the artist has experienced both in China and the West, Weiwei found a way to express his freedom of speech and right to ask questions by utilising technology and AI. During the talk, he says: “If humans will ever be liberated, it will be because we ask the right questions, not provide the right answers. ... So if you don’t have freedom of speech, at least have freedom to ask questions. I ask the questions to AI and AI answers.” As he mentioned, asking the questions to AI, the artist himself, and ourselves might be the way of seeking truth.
However, he clarified the difference between humans and AI when it comes to the way of seeking the truth. For the artist, inviting AI into the practice is like working with any other tool that is under human control. AI is trained to analyse a large dataset and identify the keywords of texts and patterns of code. Therefore, “as technology accelerates the speed and accuracy of the existing information, the answer is fast.” On the other hand, the truth exists in diverse types and forms for us as a human: “There are many different types of truth, there are facts, truth in opinion and perspective, and social events, and also there is a very different truth related to aesthetics and moral judgement, and also in philosophy.” As Weiwei says, knowledge comes from the endless decisions to make, and the answer is as ever-changing as the truth is. In those questions, there is no right and wrong. Therefore, our answers and the truth exist in the space in between.
It is important for us to have open and free space to breathe so that truth can transform and traverse freely between the differences. And these open spaces come from embracing the in-betweenness in which truth exists. In these spaces the truths will start to form slowly by asking the questions, reflecting on them, and having the will and right to express.
Perhaps the question is: for what truths do we want to make space for? Or how to position ourselves in between these different truths?
In November 2023, Lisson Gallery indefinitely postponed Weiwei’s solo show, just after he shared his comment on the situation in Gaza. The gallery made a statement that the show was postponed as a mutual decision after extensive discussions with the artist. Asked about his perspective, Weiwei says “When in general the West thinks they have freedom of expression, I think it’s the biggest lie - you don’t have freedom of expression. If you say something and it brings you trouble, that means you don’t have freedom of expression. You have to respect different opinions - and it’s not about what is right or wrong, it’s about having a right to say what you really think.” Understanding Weiwei’s experience and history with censorship and repression from the Chinese government, it’s interesting to now hear his opinion about limitations on freedom, happening in the West.
Where can we find the momentum where we can share our truths with respect to the other opinions? It’s not as simple as it sounds - we all want to have freedom of expression and for our opinion to be heard and respected - at the same time it’s not easy for all the entities to accept particular opinions as they might not be aligning with their ethos. Freedom also has to find its own space. And I believe a space where freedom can be secured is also a space full of respect and understanding. And that is the challenge of our times.
What can art do?
How can art become a space for mediation in the in-betweenness of perspectives? How can we secure freedom of speech, but at the same time secure that what is being expressed is not harmful for any side? I think in the end, it all comes to being a human and sharing our feelings and observations with others. There is something really concerning nowadays with the need of exposing our opinions. Don’t get me wrong, I do support freedom of public expression, but what social media and digital platforms are gradually doing to us, is instead of finding common ground and sense of togetherness in these heartbreaking times for humanity, they’re imposing a declaration on one of the polars. And what it does is definitely not helping the fight for freedom and peace. Not everything is black or white, and I believe that’s the urgency of the arts now - to mediate in between these polars and to bring people together to seek universal truths that empower our feeling of humanity and unity, instead of dividing us into other conflicts and wars. These kinds of spaces are so important for the growth of our society and for enriching the transnational debate on universal values that are important to all of us.
This is the urgency of the arts now. To create a safe space for freedom of expression to take place. Instead of finding the diversity and opposed views as problematic, maybe we can start treating them as a potential for enriching our culture and reforming the societal structures. As Weiwei said in the beginning “There are many different types of truths (...)”, and maybe it’s time to embrace it.
Even though the truth has different types and forms from each perspective, it shares a common ground: a sense of common humanity. And truth grows in the freedom of expression and the act of questioning and asking. I believe freedom and the truth find their own space in the “ in-betweenness”. In this fluid space where the line between right and wrong is blurred, the different types of truth intersect with each other on the soft ground of humanity that consists of understanding and embracing differences. And they will continuously and freely traverse and cross away from each other.
As his work Ai vs AI shows, AI answers. However, we, as humans, have a will to ask and reflect. As we would never know where the river begins and where the waves of the ocean start from and end, truth is constantly forming and changing by asking and reflecting. So, let these spaces of in-betweenness freely flow by asking questions, thinking and searching for the truth. Here, in the space in between, the truth and freedoms shall sprout.
read whole issue here
