PositiveArt in AmericaGiven the harrowing experiences that the artist and activist Ai Weiwei has endured over his sixty-four years, it is a bit miraculous to see him exude mordant humor and calm determination throughout his lucid new memoir, 1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows. Even in very dire circumstances, he seems able to engage—maybe even enjoy—one absurdity or another ... For an artist’s memoir, there is little discussion of actual artmaking, and only passing explanations of his rise ... Ai’s memoir, translated into English by Allan H. Barr, is, for its part, accessible and earnest ... Ai’s century-spanning story shows that even the most seemingly intractable situations eventually evolve.
