The Chinese dissident artist on his UK move and why no one wants to get on the wrong side of China

Ai Weiwei has described his recent move to the UK as a step into the unknown and said he was looking forward to getting involved in arguments about Brexit.

In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, speaking from the Berlin studio he has retained 10 days after moving with his family to Cambridge, the Chinese dissident artist said he had been following the heated debates about the UK’s withdrawal from the EU and was intrigued to watch the country’s future unfold. As long as he cannot return to China, the UK represents the preferred place for his family to make their home.

But he added: “I don’t know anything about Britain. It is unknown territory for me. All I know is I’m so tired of superpowers after growing up in a country aspiring to be one. And the US is so backward in many ways, I just want a safe home for my son where he can be educated in English.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A 2015 porcelain artwork from Ai’s Wave series. Photograph: Jens Ziehe/Courtesy of Ai Weiwei and neugerriemschneider, Berlin

He said he would watch with interest how the country dealt with its political quandary. “The parliament is a circus and Boris Johnson is one of quite a few clowns out there right now. This is clearly a moment of social change; the old structure needs new possibilities ... I am an outsider so I will listen to the arguments. I do think you have to trust people to make mistakes, to learn from the consequences and make improvements – that’s how the history of human development goes.”

The 61-year-old, who was granted refuge in Germany four years ago after three months of prison detention followed by a lengthy house arrest in China, distanced himself from reports that he was leaving the country because it had become intolerant towards the almost 1 million refugees who arrived in 2015. He and his family had decided to move to Britain for “more prosaic” reasons such as weather and schooling, he said.

“The education system will put more demands on my son than the German one, and he’s told me he needs more pressure, and both my son and girlfriend are happy to not have to face another long Berlin winter,” he said.

“Basically the centre of argument has moved from me, to being one about where it is best for my son, Ai Lao, to be,” he said. “We found him a school in Cambridge and we’re lucky they accepted him. The environment is peaceful and productive, like a garden, and my son is happy.”

Ai said he looked forward to getting involved in the arguments Britons were having with each other over Brexit. “The more argument there is the better for me,” he said. “I like more argument as I’m basically like a boxer, and enjoy the stimulation. I’m not someone who greets the neighbours and pretends everything is fine if it’s not. We are in the midst of a lot of conflicts in the world right now … you cannot pretend it’s not happening.”

I will not stay in a certain box – in China, in Germany or in the UK

He said he would always be grateful to the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, for enabling him to find a safe haven in Berlin. But he said during his time there he had felt frustrated at being excluded from political and social debate, and he would remain relevant only if he was able to participate in the conversation. He speaks no German so the language barrier was a problem.

“Germans think I’m a hero because I stood up to communism in China; they think I’m crazy and brave. I’m not brave; I just respond to things I think are wrong – whether in Germany or China. But I’ve felt a lot of resistance when I’ve tried to talk with people – including high-level German friends of mine – about uncomfortable things here, like unfriendliness to foreigners. They have warned me that people don’t like you to talk about those controversial issues. They told me, ‘They expect you to concentrate on being an artist.’ But I can’t do that, I will not stay in a certain box – in China, in Germany or in the UK.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A still from Human Flow, a German documentary co-produced and directed by Ai Weiwei about the global refugee crisis. Photograph: AC Films/Kobal/Rex/Shutterstock

He has enjoyed an array of stellar shows of his works, most recently in Düsseldorf, his largest in Europe to date, since moving to Germany. But a number of controversies had added extra, unwanted frisson to his stay, he said. A legal dispute with Volkswagen, which used one of his refugee-themed artworks as a backdrop for an ad campaign, led to the carmaker having to pay him €230,000 (£205,000) in compensation.

He strongly believes the Berlin film festival turned down films he had made about refugees and other human rights issues over fears of upsetting the Chinese authorities or the Chinese companies that were among the event sponsors. “Chinese investment in the film industry is now around 40%,” Ai said. “So you see, you have to be practical about that. Germans know they have to deal with China. No one wants to commit economic suicide.”

The films The Rest, his documentary on refugees in Europe, as well as Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly, Cheryl Haines’s account of his exhibition on the prison island of Alcatraz, and Beijing Spring, about a Chinese artist community to which he belonged, were not chosen for the festival, which prides itself on its political content. “Fine, I think to myself. Maybe they don’t like it. But it’s not just my films – others critical of China’s history and past were turned down too,” Ai said.

The Berlinale denies the accusation, but Ai is convinced the reason is “none of them were going to receive China’s golden seal of approval. And no one wants to get on the wrong side of China.”

That followed an earlier decision by the French director Emmanuel Benbihy to cut Ai and his son, now aged 10, out of Berlin, I Love You, the latest instalment of the Cities in Love series celebrating cities around the world, this one starring Helen Mirren, Keira Knightley and Jim Sturgess. Benbihy complained that Ai’s two-minute scene was “too political”, which the artist said this was further proof that he was now considered a “liability”.

The artist was speaking in his subterranean studio in eastern Berlin, a 4,000 sq m catacomb, 10 metres below ground, before the opening of Roots, his latest exhibition in the city at the neugerriemschneider gallery, a version of which will be shown at Lisson Gallery in London from October.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Roots was inspired by visits Ai made to the Brazilian rainforests.

Photograph: Jens Ziehe/Courtesy of Ai Weiwei,Lisson Galley and neugerriemschneider, Berlin

At its heart are seven large iron sculptures based on wax casts from trees native to the Brazilian rainforests, inspired by a poem by his father, Ai Qing, and visits the artist made to the forests.

“I had been working on this for years,” he said, “and now it has met its own purpose at a time when we are seeing the devastating effects of the rightist leader of Brazil, whose privatisation of those forests – which provide 20% of Earth’s oxygen – has prompted a money grab devoid of any moral or ecological judgment, leading to these huge fires which have been raging for two months.”

He said he could see the parallels between the destruction caused by rampant capitalism in Brazil and the attempts by Chinese authorities to crush the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, which he was following closely via contacts on the ground, including his own team of film-makers, and social media. “Those campaigning against these destructive forces are courageous and clever, but I fear they are very fragile compared to what they are up against.”

Ai has yet to have an official meeting with Merkel – only bumping into her by chance at a Chinese restaurant near her flat – but said he planned to write to thank her and explain his decision to leave. “I understand she couldn’t meet me, because she has to consider Germany’s dealings with China,” he said, noting she has travelled there 12 times during her chancellery.

British food is disastrous. There are so few fruits and vegetables

“But she’s the first person I want to show my gratitude towards, because she helped with my release. Even if she’s being practical and shoring up Germany’s future by keeping good relations with China, she has the integrity to put a public issue – like Hong Kong or the refugees – in front of the world, and for that we really are very grateful.”

Despite his latest show being described as a “monumental final greeting” to Berlin by one art critic, Ai insisted he was not turning his back on the city. He will retain a strong presence in the form of his team and his studio – he has a 99-year lease on the building. “Berlin will always be one of my bases. I will keep coming back,” he said.

He remains hopeful that one day he and his family will be able to travel back to China. “My son is so interested in it. He knows I am missing China, and went back once to my studio and held my cats for me for half an hour. He wanted to do that for me. I have often taken him with me, to Brazil or Mexico, often dangerous places, sometimes to parties. But he’s so tired of my art, my propaganda. He once said to me, ‘No more Ai Weiwei.’”

Ten days in the UK led him to believe British food was “disastrous: there are so few fruits and vegetables, maybe because people start drinking in the morning”. But his experiences so far had shown people to be kind and helpful. “And I love the trees, there are so many of them. But most importantly, my son needs a nest and we hope that he will find it in Cambridge.”