“I was abducted because I was raising uncomfortable questions with my art,” the Chinese-born Ai Weiwei recently wrote in an Op-Ed for The New York Times. Once a political prisoner, Ai’s rebellious spirit remains intact. “Bare Life” presents 35 pieces by Ai—many of which are new, site-specific installations—but divides them into two sections based on two key themes. The first highlights Ai’s fearless humanitarianism. The second explores the aftershocks of the Chinese cultural revolution—and the collisions of past and present reverberating in its wake. —C.J.F.