Ai Weiwei Reflects on 40 Years of Art and Activism Ahead of Major U.S. Retrospective
Ai Weiwei with the word "FUCK" sunburned onto his chest, Tiananmen Square, Beijing, , part of the "Beijing Photographs" series, Photo: Courtesy of Ai Weiwei Studio, © Ai Weiwei
In , the family was sent to Shihezi, Xinjiang, where they lived in harsh conditions for 16 years. “At the camp we had to live in an underground dugout and were subjected to unexplainable hatred, discrimination, unprovoked insults and assaults, all of which aimed to crush the basic human spirit rooted in my father’s beliefs,” Ai wrote in a Guardian op-ed. “As a result, I remember experiencing what felt like endless injustice.”
Those formative years led to Ai Weiwei using art as a tool for activism, becoming a dissident artist who isn’t afraid to use his art to speak out against injustice. The artist followed his father’s lead; in , he famously dropped a 2, year-old Han Dynasty urn, resulting in one of his most pivotal works. The act was his way of criticizing the destruction of Chinese artifacts during the Cultural Revolution. Over a decade later, in , the artist made it his responsibility to research the number
© Ai Weiwei
Ai Weiwei was born in in Beijing, China. He attended the Beijing Film Academy, and upon moving to New York in the s, continued his studies at the Parsons School of Design. The diversity of his artistic production includes installation, sculpture, photography, performance, documentary filmmaking, architecture, social media and public art projects. A staunch defender of human rights and the freedom of expression, his work taps into the human condition, addressing injustices and truth, advocating for humanity, and providing a critical lens through which to examine humanity’s relationship to nature and the environment and confront systems of economic, political and societal power.
Ai Weiwei is a global citizen, a passionate social activist, creative visionary, and one of the most provocative artists of our time. He grew up as a refugee in his home country. As the son of one of China’s most renowned poets, Ai Qing, his family was exiled to remote provinces along the Northern borders, where they lived and worked in labor camps during China’s Cultural Revolution, before being allowed to return to Beijing in From to , Ai Weiwei lived in New
Ai Weiwei (Chinese. 艾未未; 28 Aug , Beijing, China) is a Chinese painter, sculptor and a political activist, who often expresses sharp criticism to the of China. The fight against government is in Weiwei's blood: he was born in the family of the famous poet AI Qing, who was sent into exile with his family because of his work. They were only able to return to Beijing after almost 20 years, when Mao died, and pretty soon the name of Weiwei began to be heard in the artistic circle. Even then, his work as well as the work of his friends, were political in nature. The young artists participated in the democratic marches and rallies together. In , Weiwei moved to the USA, where he lived for 11 years, gradually gaining knowledge at various art institutions, improving his level of English and constantly practicing photography. His first solo exhibition was held in in New York City. But in a few years he had to return to Beijing because of his father's illness.
was the turning point in Weiwei's life began in , as he was invited to represent China at the Venice Biennale. He loudly announced himself on the international art stage and his work began to attract much attention. The Chine
Ai Weiwei was born in Beijing in , he lives and works in Beijing (China), Berlin (Germany), Cambridge (UK) and Lisbon (Portugal).
Ai Weiwei has been called the most influential artist of our time.
After denouncing government corruption and lack of respect for human rights and freedom of speech in China, he was arrested, beaten, placed in isolation and forbidden to travel.
His activity as a dissident has gone hand in hand with his artistic career and he has continued to produce work testifying to his political beliefs while at the same time making plenty of room for creativity and experimentation.
His output over the past thirty years allows us to explore his ambivalent rapport both with Western culture and with the culture of his own country – torn between a deep-rooted sense of belonging and an equally strong urge to rebel.
His father, the poet Ai Qing, was labeled a “rightist” in and Ai and his family were exiled, first to Heilongjiang, in northeastern China, and then soon after to the deserts of Xinjiang, in northwestern China.
Following the death of Mao Zedong in , Ai Qing was rehabilitated and the family moved back to Beijing. Ai would enroll at the
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