The artist Ai Weiwei has defended the importance of free speech after a London gallery put his show on hold over a tweet about the Israel-Hamas war.
The exhibition of new works by the Chinese dissident, which was due to open at the Lisson gallery this week, was indefinitely put on hold after a tweet posted in response to a follower’s question on X which has since been deleted.
It read: “The sense of guilt around the persecution of the Jewish people has been, at times, transferred to offset the Arab world.
“Financially, culturally, and in terms of media influence, the Jewish community has had a significant presence in the United States. The annual $3bn [£2.4bn] aid package to Israel has, for decades, been touted as one of the most valuable investments the United States has ever made. This partnership is often described as one of shared destiny.”
It is not clear whether Ai’s show will be rescheduled. The artist told the Art Newspaper that his show has “effectively [been] cancelled” – but noted that the decision was taken “to avoid further disputes and for my own wellbeing”.
A spokesperson for the Lisson gallery said there were extensive conversations with Ai after the comment he posted online.
A statement from the gallery, which represents the artist, said: “We together agreed that now is not the right time to present his new body of work. There is no place for debate that can be characterised as antisemitic or Islamophobic at a time when all efforts should be on ending the tragic suffering in Israeli and Palestinian territories, as well as in communities internationally.
“Ai Weiwei is well known for his support of freedom of expression and for championing the oppressed, and we deeply respect and value our longstanding relationship with him.”
Ai said he had “attempted to be objective and neutral without moral judgment, accusations, or evaluation of human actions” in his tweet. But he said he understood that “societal behaviour, whether at a national, collective, or religious level, cannot be oversimplified”.
The artist said this raised crucial questions about freedom of speech. “If we cannot use simple ways to express a complicated question, does that mean expression becomes unnecessary, or that the so-called ‘incorrect’ expression becomes unnecessary?
“This is a fundamental aspect of free expression. For someone working in art, expression has never been about seeking correct expression.”
Born in Beijing in 1957, Ai grew up in labour camps in north-west China after the exile of his father, the poet Ai Qing. Throughout his career he has been an outspoken critic of the Chinese authorities and an advocate for human rights.
The sculptor and activist, who divides his time between Cambridge and Portugal, spent 81 days in custody in Beijing in 2011 and fled his home country four years later on the return of his passport.
He has been vocal in his support for Palestinians in the past, and in 2016, travelled to Gaza while filming for his documentary, Human Flow, about the global refugee crisis.
“I have always regarded free expression as a value most worth fighting for and caring about, even if it brings me various misfortunes,” he said. “My father, as a poet, suffered unfair treatment, detainment, labour reformation, and almost lost his life simply because of his attitude. If he had lost his life, I would not exist.”
Ai said “all kinds of opinions” should be valued. “Incorrect opinions should be especially encouraged. If free expression is limited to the same kind of opinions, it becomes an imprisonment of expression. Freedom of speech is about different voices, voices different from ours.”
