Ai Weiwei visited frontline positions of the National Guard’s Khartia Brigade, which is defending the Kharkiv sector.
Ai Weiwei shared photos of his trip without captions, but the images show him in Kharkiv, where he met with Ukrainian poet, writer, musician, and soldier Serhiy Zhadan; businessman and Khartia commander Vsevolod Kozhemiako, legendary footballer and Ballon d’Or winner Andriy Shevchenko, now president of the Ukrainian Association of Football and Ukrainian artist Hamlet Zinkivskyi. He also visited Khartia positions along the northern frontline of Kharkiv Oblast.
On the artist’s Instagram, videos show hidden Ukrainian trenches in nearby forests, soldiers singing the folk song Ridna maty, Ai Weiwei speaking with troops, and glimpses of frontline life. Other footage includes scenes of Kharkiv, local cats, a conversation with Zinkivskyi about his book, a DJ set, an interview with Zhadan near the Derzhprom building accompanied by the sound of air raid sirens, Ukrainian sunflower fields, and FPV drones flying overhead.
Main Image: Courtesy Ai Weiwei IG