Renowned Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has published a harsh assessment of German society in an essay titled "What I Wish I Had Known About Germany Earlier," delivering a scathing critique of the country after spending years living there. In his brutally honest evaluation, Ai Weiwei describes Germany as a society that clings to rules but lacks moral direction, warning that a society that is obedient without questioning authority is doomed to destruction.
The dissident artist points to Germany's excessive bureaucracy as a major problem, arguing that it kills both thinking and responsibility. He is particularly critical of what he sees as the complacency of many Germans, noting their dangerous self-satisfaction with the status quo. "When the majority believes they live in a free society, it is often a sign that they do not," Ai Weiwei warns in his essay.
Ai Weiwei highlights the country's tendency to remain silent on sensitive topics as particularly troubling, specifically citing the lack of open discussion about the Nord Stream pipeline explosions. He argues that such silence on controversial issues is more dangerous than any bomb. The artist also takes aim at German media, accusing news outlets of being "accomplices of authority" by avoiding conflicts in order to curry favor with those in power.
In his cultural assessment, Ai Weiwei describes Germany as a country that has become mentally paralyzed by its fear of disorder. He sees not genuine art in German culture, but rather collective self-congratulation and empty praise. According to the artist, art that doesn't provoke is worthless, yet that is exactly the kind of art that gets celebrated in Germany.
The critique extends beyond politics and culture to everyday life in Germany. Ai Weiwei expresses disappointment with various aspects of German society, from too many bad Chinese restaurants to what he perceives as a lack of humor and an excess of seriousness in social interactions. These observations paint a picture of a society that he finds culturally stifling and socially rigid.
Ai Weiwei's final assessment is particularly damning: beneath Germany's surface appearance of order and rationality, he argues, lies a quiet form of authoritarianism. He concludes that when a country eliminates individual self-perception and personal responsibility, it ends up living "under iron walls of oppression," suggesting that Germany's apparent freedom may be more illusory than real.
