Hidden away in a drawer for the past 26 years, a 1985 manifesto by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has just come to light, an essay that outlines a belief that Chinese artists must "help the people of China to shed the past and transform into a society of free and creative spirits." The document takes the form of a series of bullet-pointed statements, each one a protest against Chinese isolationism and censorship. Now, for the first time, ARTINFO has published the full manifesto. 

Ai lived in New York City for almost a decade through the 80s and 90s, and his presence in the city helped bring into being a circle of artistic Chinese expatriates that coexisted with the East Village scene of the day. Ai and his friends brushed shoulders with New York bohemian figures like Allen Ginsberg and a small community of American writers and academics who had experience in China. Chinese law expert Jerome Cohen and art historian Joan Cohen were two such local China hands, providing a warm welcome to new travelers.

Joan became known as a scholar of Chinese contemporary art, and published one of the first books on the subject: her 1987 "The New Chinese Painting, 1949-1986" introduced a new generation of Chinese artists to the West. Joan also kept detailed files on Chinese artists, and it was in one of these files that Ai's manifesto, written with a group of friends calling themselves "Chinese United Overseas Artists," was preserved and recently unearthed. Cohen presented the manifesto at a recent panel discussion at the Asia Society, which is also the site of an exhibition of Ai's New York City photographs taken in the 80s and 90s.

The manifesto demonstrates a desire for greater openness, the same ability to speak, discuss, and create freely that Ai has pursued throughout his artistic career. "Freedom is the condition for creativity; only through creativity can we truly experience freedom," the manifesto reads. "The creative spirit honors tradition by breaking with tradition. Only by continuously moving away from tradition can we cultivate tradition." It ends with a note of optimism, and a self-fulfilling prophecy: "The world is watching closely the future of Chinese art!" In no small part because of Ai, we still are.

The document is signed by a group of Chinese United Overseas Artists members, listing as directors Yuan Yunsheng and Wang Keping, and American Executive Committee members Zhang Hongtu, and Ai Weiwei. It is an inspiring artifact, a part of Ai's early artistic practice that hints at the courageous work — and activism — to come. 

View Ai's 1985 manifesto in its entirety in the images at left.