Who is Ai Weiwei?
Ai Weiwei is the most famous Chinese artist living today. As an activist, he calls attention to human rights violations on an epic scale; as an artist, he expands the definition of art to include new forms of social engagement.
Where can I see Ai Weiwei's work?
In September 2019, the newly expanded and renovated Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum at Washington University in St. Louis opened with a major exhibition of work by Ai Weiwei: "Bare Life". [198]
Will Ai Weiwei move back to China?
He told us he's staying in Europe for the time being out of concern for the safety of his young son. But he hasn't ruled out moving back. Holly Williams: Ai Weiwei has now left China.
What has Ai Weiwei done in 2020?
In October 2020, on Halloween night, Ai Weiwei was invited by Josef O'Connor to set a new world record on London's Piccadilly Lights screen with the presentation of his film 'CIRCA 20:20' becoming the longest-ever single piece of content to be displayed on the giant illuminated billboard.
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Where did Ai Weiwei work?
Ai Weiwei was born in 1957 in Beijing and now lives and works in Portugal. He attended Beijing Film Academy and later, on moving to New York (1983–1993), continued his studies at the Parsons School of Design.
What type of work does Ai Weiwei do?
Installation artPhotograp...Ceramic artAi Weiwei/Forms
Where is Ai Weiwei's studio?
BeijingWorks created at my Zuoyou studio in Beijing.
Where are Ai Weiwei sunflower seeds now?
Chinese artist Ai Weiwei's "sunflower seeds" - a work made up of 10 tonnes of porcelain seed replicas - has been bought by Tate Modern. The London gallery has acquired around eight million of the 100 million porcelain reproductions.
What is the meaning of Wei Wei?
wéi wéi. of high and stable appearance.
How do you pronounce Ai Weiwei?
0:021:01How to Pronounce "Ai Weiwei" - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAi weiwei ai weiwei ai weiwei ai weiwei ai weiwei ai weiwei.MoreAi weiwei ai weiwei ai weiwei ai weiwei ai weiwei ai weiwei.
What did Ai Weiwei do?
Ai Weiwei emerged as a vital instigator in Chinese cultural development, an architect of Chinese modernism, and one of the nation's most vocal political commentators. Ai Weiwei encapsulates political conviction and his personal poetry in his many sculptures, photographs, and public works.
Why does swoon put her art outside?
Swoon originally liked putting her art on walls because it allowed her a sense of the impact her work could have, but she realized that compassion could allow her impact to grow exponentially: “This is what I feel making art should be about,” she declares.
What are Ai Weiwei's sunflower seeds made of?
About the exhibition Ai Weiwei's Sunflower Seeds is made up of millions of small works, each apparently identical, but actually unique. However realistic they may seem, these life-sized sunflower seed husks are in fact intricately hand-crafted in porcelain.
What do sunflower seeds represent in China?
The sunflower seed is a common street snack in China, an everyday object from the artist's childhood. It evokes the memory of hardships and hunger during the Cultural Revolution, and the era of socialist planned economy with the collective worship of the ”sun” - Chairman Mao.
What type of art does Ai Weiwei make?
Installation artPhotograp...Ceramic artAi Weiwei/Forms
What is Ai Weiwei best known for?
Known for his installation art, eclectic oeuvre and political activism, Ai Weiwei is one of the most influential figures in the world of contemporary art. Read on to discover more about this legendary artist. Ai Weiwei ranks among the most prominent and controversial figures in the world of contemporary art.
How does Ai Weiwei make his artworks?
The socio-political and economic climate of contemporary China most often serves as starting point for Ai Weiwei's art, and he uses local materials and resources like reclaimed wood from traditional Chinese houses and temples; Chinese antiquities like Neolithic vases and Qing Dynasty furniture; porcelain from the ...
What is the central theme in most of Hirst's work?
Death is a central theme in Hirst's works. He became famous for a series of artworks in which dead animals are preserved, sometimes having been dissected, in formaldehyde.
Who is Ai Weiwei?
Ai Weiwei, Wade-Giles romanization Ai Wei-wei, (born May 18?, 1957, Beijing, China), Chinese artist and activist who produced a multifaceted array of creative work, including sculptural installations, architectural projects, photographs, and videos.
Why was the studio in Shanghai razed?
Though local authorities cited Ai’s failure to obtain a required permit as the reason for the demolition, Ai himself speculated that two documentary films he had made that suggested injustices on the part of Shanghai’s government may have been the underlying impetus. Ai was briefly placed under house arrestto prevent him from attending a party at the complex in November, and the site was demolished two months later. Also in November Ai launched another citizen investigation following a deadly fire in a Shanghai high-rise apartment building.
Who was Ai Qing's father?
Early life and work. Ai’s father was Ai Qing, one of China’s most renowned poets. Shortly after Weiwei was born—most sources state on August 28, 1957, but others suggest May 13 or 18, 1957—communist officials accused Ai Qing of being a rightist, and the family was exiled to remote locales. They were first sent to the northeastern province ...
Was Ai a surveillance?
The blog was soon shut down, and Ai was placed under surveillance, though he refused to curtail his activities. (He transferred his online presence to Twitter .) Later in 2009 he was assaulted by police in Chengdu, where he was supporting a kindred activist on trial.
What was Ai Weiwei arrested for?
In 2011, Ai Weiwei was arrested at Beijing Capital International Airport on 3 April, for "economic crimes".
Where did Ai grow up?
Ai grew up in the far north-west of China, where he lived under harsh conditions due to his father's exile. As an activist, he has been openly critical of the Chinese Government 's stance on democracy and human rights.
Why was Ai under house arrest?
He said this was to prevent the planned party marking the demolition of his brand new Shanghai studio.
Why was Ai beaten?
Ai suffered headaches and claimed he had difficulty concentrating on his work since returning from Chengdu in August 2009, where he was beaten by the police for trying to testify for Tan Zuoren, a fellow investigator of the shoddy construction and student casualties in the earthquake.
How much did Beijing Fa Ke Cultural Development Ltd demand?
In June 2011, the Beijing Local Taxation Bureau demanded a total of over 12 million yuan (US$1.85 million) from Beijing Fa Ke Cultural Development Ltd. in unpaid taxes and fines, and accorded three days to appeal the demand in writing. According to Ai's wife, Beijing Fa Ke Cultural Development Ltd. has hired two Beijing lawyers as defense attorneys. Ai's family state that Ai is "neither the chief executive nor the legal representative of the design company, which is registered in his wife's name."
Why was Ai arrested?
In 2011, Ai was arrested on charges of tax evasion, jailed for 81 days, and then released. The government had kept his passport confiscated and refused him any other travel papers. Following the return of his passport in 2015, Ai moved to Berlin where he maintained a large studio in a former brewery.
Where did Ai go to school?
In 1978, Ai enrolled in the Beijing Film Academy and studied animation. In 1978, he was one of the founders of the early avant garde art group the " Stars ", together with Ma Desheng, Wang Keping, Mao Lizi, Huang Rui, Li Shuang, Ah Cheng and Qu Leilei.
What has Ai Weiwei done?
Ai Weiwei has worked in everything from paint to readymades. As our landmark exhibition examines work from 1993 up to the present day, we take a look at some of the key works to know from across Ai’s career.
Where are Ai Weiwei sunflower seeds made?
In 2011, Ai Weiwei’s sunflower seeds – 100 million of them – were poured into the Turbine Hall at Tate Modern. Each one was unique: hand-crafted from porcelain in Jingdezhen – the Chinese town that once produced imperial porcelain for over a thousand years.
Why did Ai Weiwei boycott the Olympics?
He boycotted the Olympics, highlighting the discrepancy between China’s patriotic rhetoric and yet its terrible human rights record. “It was merely a stage for a political party to advertise its glory to the world,” he told Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun.
How long was Ai detained?
While the seeds were on display in London, Ai was arrested and detained without explanation by the Chinese authorities for 81 days. During this period, the RA elected Ai an Honorary Royal Academician, in solidarity. Installation of 100 million painted porcelain seeds in the Turbine Hall at the Tate Modern, London.
Who is Ye Haiyan?
Ai Weiwei, Ye Haiyan’s Belongings, 2013. Ye Haiyan is an activist for women’s rights in China. In response to her activism, the Chinese government evicted her from her home, leaving her, her daughter and their luggage on the side of a motorway.
When did Ai smash an urn?
In 1995, Ai smashed an antique urn. He had became fascinated with China’s traditional heritage that Mao had tried to wipe out during the Cultural Revolution (1966-76). He would visit antique markets, gathering items that he’d learnt from Duchamp could be presented as artworks in themselves, or “readymades” – among them, 2000 year-old urns from the Han Dynasty. Creating what is still one of his most provocative works, the artist photographed himself dropping one.
Who is Ai Weiwei?
Known for his installation art, eclectic oeuvre and political activism, Ai Weiwei is one of the most influential figures in the world of contemporary art. Read on to discover more about this legendary artist.
Where does Ai Weiwei live?
In recent years, Ai Weiwei has lived between Germany and England, continuing to produce highly political, opinionated works of art. He routinely broadcasts news about his activism and art on his Twitter, and you can even listen to some of his subversive tunes on Spotify!
How did Ai Weiwei use his art?
In this way, Ai Weiwei used his art to encourage multiculturalism and understanding within the international community. He later made a documentary about the Fairytale project, celebrating the positive impact it had made on both the Chinese and the European participants.
What is the title of the video Ai Weiwei made?
The two-hour long video, ironically entitled ‘Hua Hao Yue Yuan’ ( ‘blissful harmony’), records the experiences of two Chinese activists whose protests against the Chinese Communist Party lead to their arrest and abuse at the hands of state officials. Ai Weiwei interviews the victims, witnesses and commentators to bring together a variety of views about the recent government crackdown on increasing dissent.
Why did Ai Weiwei go to exile?
When Ai Weiwei was only one year old, his family was sent to a government labour camp on the grounds that his father, a noted poet, was producing right-wing work. Ai therefore lived in exile for most of his childhood, before returning to Beijing as a young man. Unfortunately, he was destined to repeat his experience in a state detention centre, as in 2011 he was arrested by the Beijing police and held for almost 3 months without charge.
What was the name of the documentary that Ai Weiwei made about his struggles?
It also provided inspiration for the award-winning 2012 biographical documentary about his struggles: ‘Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry’.
Why did Ai Weiwei boycott the Olympics?
Despite playing such a key role in the preparations, Ai boycotted the Olympics as a protest against the Chinese regime. He felt that the event’s celebration and pride were too much at odds with the terrible suffering experienced by vast swathes of the population.
Where did Ai go to school?
He studied briefly at Parsons School of Design. Ai attended the Art Students League of New York from 1983 to 1986, where he studied with Bruce Dorfman, Knox Martin and Richard Pousette-Dart. He later dropped out of school, and made a living out of drawing street portraits and working odd jobs.
How long was Ai Qing held?
In 2011, following his arrest at Beijing Capital International Airport on 3 April, he was held for 81 days without any official charges being filed; officials alluded to their allegations of "economic crimes". Ai's father was the Chinese poet Ai Qing, who was denounced during the Anti-Rightist Movement.
Where did Ai Qing live?
In 1958, the family was sent to a labour camp in Beidahuang, Heilongjiang, when Ai was one year old. They were subsequently exiled to Shihezi, Xinjiang in 1961, where they lived for 16 years. Upon Mao Zedong's death and the end of the Cultural Revolution, the family returned to Beijing in 1976.
What is Ai Qing's father's name?
His father's (Ai Qing) original surname was written Jiang (蔣). Ai collaborated with Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron as the artistic consultant on the Beijing National Stadium for the 2008 Olympics.
Where is Ai from?
Ai has lived and worked in Germany for the past few years, ever since the Chinese government released him from jail and returned his passport. But he is about to move to New York. "Everybody in the United States are refugees, in some time in the history," he says.
Is Ai Weiwei moving to America?
Ai Weiwei is moving to America: ' Everybody in United States are refugees'. The Chinese conceptual artist and political provocateur knows that with his pro-migrant message he's swimming against a populist tide. In Europe, right-wing politicians now regularly decry the migrants crossing the Mediterranean from Africa to Europe in overcrowded boats.
Who is Ai Weiwei?
Ai Weiwei is China's most famous political dissident; a provocateur and a troublemaker whose clashes with the Chinese government have gotten him harassed by police, thrown in jail and driven out of the country. He's also one of the most successful contemporary artists in the world; a designer, sculptor, photographer and blogger who's earned legions ...
Where did Ai Weiwei set up his studio?
You taste the most important thing in life. And you will never forget it. Yeah. After a decade in the U.S., he moved back to China and set up a studio in Beijing; breaking new ground and challenging old sensibilities with mischievous, provocative art. Ai Weiwei destroys a 2,000-year-old Chinese urn.
What did Weiwei do when he was under surveillance?
When they put his studio under surveillance, Weiwei decorated the cameras with lanterns, then fashioned replicas out of marble for his exhibitions. When officers were ordered to follow his every move, he got his own camera man to film them filming him, ridiculing the state in a way no one else in China had ever dared.
How many artisans did Ai Weiwei hire?
He cast giant-animal heads in bronze and sent them on tour around the world. He hired 1,600 artisans to handcraft porcelain sunflower seeds then carpeted the floor of a giant atrium in London with 100 million of them. It captivated the public and helped turn Ai Weiwei into an art-scene superstar.
What did Ai Weiwei say about the Chinese authorities?
Inspire people to do and live the way that he did. The Chinese authorities responded brutally. Ai Weiwei says police beat him up and he later had to be hospitalized. Doctors discovered bleeding in his brain which he says could have killed him.
What did Weiwei call the investigation?
Weiwei assembled a team of activists to interview the parents, many of whom had lost their only child. He called it a "citizens' investigation"... China had never seen anything like it.
Where did Weiwei move to?
Weiwei got out of China at the first opportunity, moving to New York in the early 1980s. He was intoxicated by the city, chronicling everything in pictures, drawing inspiration from American masters like Andy Warhol and stringing together a living doing odd jobs and street art. Ai Weiwei: Yeah.
Who is Ai Weiwei?from wikiart.org
Ai Weiwei, Wade-Giles romanization Ai Wei-wei, (born May 18?, 1957, Beijing, China), Chinese artist and activist who produced a multifaceted array of creative work, including sculptural installations, architectural projects, photographs, and videos.
What is Ai Weiwei's art?from khanacademy.org
The Chinese artist, Ai Weiwei, offers is an important contemporary example. In 2011, Weiwei was arrested in China following a crack down by the government on so-called “political dissidents” (a specific category that the Chinese government uses to classify those who seek to subvert state power) for “alleged economic crimes” against the Chinese state. Weiwei has used his art to address both the corruption of the Chinese communist government and its outright neglect of human rights, particularly in the realm of the freedom of speech and thought. Weiwei has been successful in using the internet (which is severely restricted in China) as a medium for his art. His work is informed by two interconnected strands, his involvement with the Chinese avant-garde group “Stars” (which he helped found in 1978 during his time in the Beijing Film Academy) and the fact that he spent some of his formative years in New York, engaging there with the ideas of conceptual art, in particular the idea of the readymade. Many of the concepts and much of the material that Weiwei uses in his art practice are informed by post-conceptual thinking.
What did Weiwei suffer from?from khanacademy.org
The title of the show referred to the apologies frequently expressed by governments and corporations when their negligence leads to tragedies, such as the collapse of schools during the earthquake. Two months before the opening of this exhibition Weiwei suffered a severe beating from Chinese police in Chengdu in August 2009, where he was trying to testify for Tan Zuoren, a fellow investigator of the shoddy construction and the student casualties. Weiwei underwent emergency brain surgery for internal bleeding as a result of the assault.
What did Weiwei investigate?from khanacademy.org
Like many others, Weiwei investigated how improper material and the contravention of civil engineering laws led to the wholesale destruction of schools (which led in turn to the deaths of thousands of children trapped within them), Weiwei has produced a list of all the victims of the earthquake on his blog.
What happened to Qian Yunhui?from en.wikipedia.org
Qian Yunhui, unafraid of speaking up for his villagers, travelled to Beijing several times to report this injustice to the central government. In order to silence him, he was detained by local government repeatedly. On 25 December 2010, Qian Yunhui was hit by a truck and died on the scene. News of the incident and photos of the scene quickly spread over the internet. The local government claimed that Qian Yunhui was the victim of an ordinary traffic accident. This film is an investigation conducted by Ai Weiwei studio into the circumstances of the incident and its connection to the land dispute case, mainly based on interviews of family members, villagers and officials. It is an attempt by Ai Weiwei to establish the facts and find out what really happened on 25 December 2010. During shooting and production, Ai Weiwei studio experienced significant obstruction and resistance from local government. The film crew was followed, sometimes physically stopped from shooting certain scenes and there were even attempts to buy off footage. All villagers interviewed for the purposes of this documentary have been interrogated or illegally detained by local government to some extent.
How did Weiwei use his art?from khanacademy.org
Weiwei has used his art to address both the corruption of the Chinese communist government and its outright neglect of human rights, particularly in the realm of the freedom of speech and thought. Weiwei has been successful in using the internet (which is severely restricted in China) as a medium for his art.
Why was Weiwei arrested?from khanacademy.org
While his detention is broadly believed to be linked to his criticism of the Chinese government, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared that he is “under investigation for alleged economic crimes.” Weiwei’s participation in the Jasmine Rallies, a series of peaceful protests which took place all over China in February, no doubt contributed to his arrest.
Who is the man in the prison cell?from wired.com
The man is Ai Weiwei, the Chinese artist known for his political activism and talent for pushing buttons.
Was Ai Weiwei watched?from thecrimson.com
“ [Ai Weiwei] was watched all the time during his detention under obsessive surveillance at a very close proximity,” S.A.C.R.E.D. curator Maurizio Bortolotti says. “Through his dioramas he upturns this situation, making us, the viewers, [watch] the guards who are in turn watching him.”
Overview
Artistic works
Weiwei is often referred to as China's most famous artist. He has created works that focus on human rights abuses using video, photography, wallpaper, and porcelain.
Beijing video works
From 2003 to 2005, Ai Weiwei recorded the results of Beijing's developing urba…
Life
Ai's father was the Chinese poet Ai Qing, who was denounced during the Anti-Rightist Movement. In 1958, the family was sent to a labour camp in Beidahuang, Heilongjiang, when Ai was one year old. They were subsequently exiled to Shihezi, Xinjiang in 1961, where they lived for 16 years. Upon Mao Zedong's death and the end of the Cultural Revolution, the family returned to Beijing in 1…
Personal life
Ai is married to artist Lu Qing. He has a son, Ai Lao, born 2009 with Wang Fen. Ai is fond of cats.
Political activity and controversies
In 2005, Ai was invited to start blogging by Sina Weibo, the biggest internet platform in China. He posted his first blog on 19 November. For four years, he "turned out a steady stream of scathing social commentary, criticism of government policy, thoughts on art and architecture, and autobiographical writings." The blog was shut down by Sina on 28 May 2009. Ai then turned to T…
Awards and honors
2008
• Chinese Contemporary Art Awards, Lifetime Achievement
2009
• GQ Men of the Year 2009, Moral Courage (Germany); the ArtReview Power 100, rank 43; International Architecture Awards, Anthenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design, Chicago, US
See also
• WeiweiCam
Further reading
• Medium, Artists on the Cutting Edge, by Addison Fach, 1 December 2017
• WideWalls magazine, Excessivism – A Phenomenon Every Art Collector Should Know, by Angie Kordic
• Gallereo magazine, The Newest Art Movement You've Never Heard of, 20 November 2015
1001 Chairs, 2007
- In 2007, as Ai Weiwei was beginning to gain an international reputation, he was invited to take part in documenta 12 , a contemporary art exhibitionheld in Germany every five years. The theme was ‘Fairytale.’ For his contribution, Ai Weiwei imported 1001 Ming and Qing dynasty chairs from China, some of which were 500 years old. Visitors were not expectedly simply to admire the chai…
Sunflower Seeds, 2010
- Perhaps his most famous installment, Ai Weiwei’s ‘Sunflower Seeds’ attracted tens of thousands of visitors to London’s Tate Modern when it was first unveiled in 2010. The ten tonne work consisted of a staggering 100 million porcelain sunflower seeds, each one handmade and meticulously painted. In its first incarnation, the installation was designed...
Forever Bicycles, 2013
- Ai Weiwei continued to produce visually arresting pieces of art with his 2013 creation, ‘Forever Bicycles’, which has since appeared in several incarnations. While studying in America, Ai became inspired by many of the artists that had been born, or found their place, in the United States. Among the most influential was Marcel Duchamp, whose 1913 ‘Bicycle Wheel’ Ai pays homage t…
“The Bird’S Nest” National Olympic Stadium, 2008
- In preparation for the 2008 Olympic Games, hosted by China, Ai Weiwei collaborated with Swiss architecture firmHerzog and de Meuron to create the iconic ‘Bird’s Nest’ stadium in his hometown of Beijing. The design for the stadium was inspired by the nation’s cultural heritage. When putting together inspiration, Ai studied Chinese urns and vasesand may have looked to local cuisine for i…
Ordos 100 Project, 2012
- Although much of Ai Weiwei’s work has met with international acclaim, not all of his projects have been so successful. In the early 2000s, Ai launched a campaign with the same architects with whom he would later collaborate on the designs for the ‘Bird’s Nest’ stadium. They invited 100 architects from across the world to design a unique villa; the plan was that the buildings would f…
Hua Hao Yue Yuan, 2010
- In the same year that he exhibited both ‘Sunflower Seeds’ and ‘River Crabs’, Ai Weiwei also made one of his most important documentaries. The two-hour long video, ironically entitled ‘Hua Hao Yue Yuan’ (‘blissful harmony’), records the experiences of two Chinese activists whose protests against the Chinese Communist Party lead to their arrest and abuse at the hands of state official…
So Sorry, 2011
- The following year, with tensions between Ai Weiwei and the Chinese Government steadily mounting, another documentary was released, once again with a sarcastic title. ‘So Sorry’ traces the artist’s attempts to win justice for the students who had died in the Sichuan earthquake, a disaster that he had become passionate about and was determined to properly investigate. His …
Ai Weiwei’s Hansel and Gretel, 2017
- One of his latest major projects, the 2017 ‘Hansel and Gretel’ installment in New York City was designed to highlight the potential (and potential dangers!) of surveillance technology. Featuring CCTV cameras, facial recognition software, drones, beacons and projections, the experience immersed visitors in a world where their every move was being monitored. The mystery of whoi…