Belonging is important to the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, but finding a place of belonging is not easy. In his home country, Ai’s open criticism of the Communist government won him notoriety in the media, an arrest in 2011, and eventually lifelong exile. “I don’t see myself as a dissident artist,” he has said. “I see them as a dissident government!” Ai is a champion of free expression who uses photography, sculpture, video, and installation to re-examine history and the world’s power structures. “Everything is art,” he states. “Everything is politics.” Many of Ai’s themes—borders, power, history, and memory—have impact in India, where people understand the meaning in these loaded terms. “This is my first exhibition in India,” the artists says, “although there are only a dozen of my artworks, it covers several key points that trace more than 20 years—and almost 30 years—of my creative activity.” —Elena Clavarino