Ai Weiwei and Bono in Berlin, September 2015. From Ai Weiwei's Instagram

When Ai Weiwei met Bono

Look who has just cropped up on the roving Chinese artist and dissident’s Instagram page

When Ai Weiwei got his passport back in July of this year he had a fairly long to-do list. There was the raising of his six-year-old son, who was living in Berlin; there was also on-going medical treatment for the head injuries he sustained at the hands of the Chinese police; then there was the solo show at the Royal Academy, and a forthcoming exhibition in Melbourne too, opening in December, where Ai’s works are to be shown alongside pieces by Andy Warhol.

 

Wim Wenders and Bono, from Ai Weiwei's Instagram
Wim Wenders and Bono, from Ai Weiwei's Instagram

Thankfully, though, when he’s not campaigning for refugees’ rights or meeting with Pussy Riot, he’s found a little time to enjoy such straightforward Western pleasures as a stadium rock concert.

A couple of nights ago U2 brought their Innocence + Experience tour to Berlin’s Mercedes Benz Arena and Weiwei was backstage, spending a little time with Bono and also – unless our eyes deceive us – the filmmaker, photographer, and longtime U2 collaborator Wim Wenders.

We've no idea what they talked about, though we imagine politics came up quite a bit. Keep on rockin’ in the free world Ai. To learn more about this important artist, buy a copy of our monograph here.