Swiss authorities refuse Ai Weiwei's Portugal-issued visa
The Chinese dissident artist, who has lived in Portugal since 2019, claims that a border agent told him, “This is Switzerland, not Portugal”.
Renowned Chinese artist and dissident Ai Weiwei was denied entry into Switzerland on Monday at Zurich Airport after arriving from London.
Ai Weiwei, who has lived in Portugal since 2019, shared his experience on Instagram, stating, “‘This is Switzerland, not Portugal,’ they told me. I am sleeping on a bench with a blanket tonight while I wait to be deported at 6:50 AM.”
By Tuesday morning, he posted again, documenting his return journey to London.
According to a report by Hyperallergic, Ai noted that he holds permanent residency in Portugal and that his visa renewal had been postponed due to the Portuguese Government’s severe backlog of applications.
In 2024, authorities extended the validity of immigrant documents through June 30 of this year to cope with processing delays.
With a temporarily valid visa in hand, Ai planned to visit his friend Uli Sigg—a Swiss businessman, art collector, and the former Swiss ambassador to China—but Zurich Airport authorities refused to recognize the visa extension.
In a statement to ArtAsiaPacific, Ai said: “I was denied entry to Switzerland on the grounds of routine procedures, but this justification feels unfounded, given that Switzerland is part of the Schengen Area and I hold permanent residency in Portugal. I believe that in today’s world, there are often underlying factors at play—subtle reasons that people might not even consciously recognize.”
A Zurich cantonal police spokesman confirmed on February 11 that Ai was blocked from entering because he “did not have the required documentation that he needs as a Chinese citizen to enter the Schengen area.”
He emphasized that the artist was not arrested, and was able to move freely in the airport’s transit lounge until his return flight to the UK.
Ai described the Swiss authorities’ approach as “dehumanizing,” adding that “as someone who has not renounced my Chinese citizenship, I frequently encounter both major and minor difficulties. A passport is more than just a travel document; it is a marker of identity. . . . For someone like me—an exile, perpetually drifting from place to place—facing situations like this is not unusual.”
A Life of Art and Activism
Ai Weiwei, 67, is one of China’s most influential contemporary artists, known for co-designing the iconic “Bird’s Nest” stadium for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
However, his outspoken criticism of the Chinese government led to his imprisonment in 2011 for 81 days. After his release, he relocated to Germany in 2015 and later moved to Portugal in 2019 with his son.
In 2023, the University of Évora awarded him an honorary doctorate, recognizing him as “one of the most prominent cultural figures of his generation and a symbol of freedom of expression in China and beyond.”
Why Portugal?
Despite his global renown, Ai Weiwei has settled in the quiet town of Montemor-o-Novo, in Portugal’s Alentejo region.
Reflecting on his decision in a recent interview with Diário de Notícias, he recalled a local resident once asking him why he had chosen such a place. “I didn’t know how to answer. I still need to figure it out,” he admitted.
However, he appreciates the region’s nature, sunshine, and, most importantly, its people. “The people here are very relaxed and very kind. They work hard and are very honest,” he noted.
Even after years of moving from country to country, Ai Weiwei does not consider Portugal—or any place—his permanent home.
“I’ve never had a place I called home, not even in China,” he said, recalling his childhood exile to the remote Xinjiang region due to his father’s political persecution.
An Artist Without Borders
Ai Weiwei’s home in Alentejo remains largely untouched, with its original decor left intact. He sees his work as something beyond physical objects: “This conversation could be my work, or the studio building itself. People are surprised I don’t have my own artworks at home or in my studio—I never have. I am the work.”
His Alentejo studio, which he built despite facing Portuguese bureaucracy, remains mostly empty. “I don’t need a building. People ask me, ‘What is it for?’ And I say, ‘For nothing.’ I’m a man without purpose, with a building without purpose—which is nice,” he reflected.
For now, Ai Weiwei enjoys the tranquility of his Portuguese retreat, often walking through the open fields with his dogs.
“Every evening, I come here to walk. I need a flat space because when you’re old, you need flat ground. And here, there’s no one around—I can walk naked. The Alentejo is perfect for that.”
Yet, as with everything in his life, permanence remains uncertain: “I don’t know if I will stay here forever. Forever, for me, could just be a few more years.”
“Maybe tomorrow, I’ll move somewhere else. Leave everything behind and go. I don’t have the privilege of saying this is my home.”
Even Ai Weiwei can't escape AIMA's incompetence.
Is there any signicance to this quote: "A Zurich cantonal police spokesman confirmed on February 11 that Ai was blocked from entering because he “did not have the required documentation that he needs as a Chinese citizen to enter the Schengen area.”. Are they especially discriminating him because of his Chinese Citizenship? I do not mean this as discrimination of Chinese but more of the fact that Ai is a outspoken individual of the Chinese government and their policies. Therefore, they target him to appease the Chinese government.