While ais art was lauded internationally, the frequently provocative and subversive dimension of his art, as well as his. He has been vocal and openly critical of the chinese governments stance on democracy and human rights. Beijing, may 22, 20 the ai weiwei studio released ai weiweis new heavy metal single, dumbass, the first piece of ai weiweis forthcoming music album the divine comedy. Through his artwork, ai weiwei advocates for basic human values including freedom of speech, freedom of expression, the value of human life, and. A continuation of his ongoing engagement with the global refugee crisis. The fake case about ai weiwei ai weiwei is a chinese activist and artist, born in 1957. Chinas bestknown artist, ai weiwei, has been detained in beijing and police have searched his studio, confiscated computers and questioned. Ai weiwei a global citizen, artist and thinker, ai weiwei moves between modes of production and investigation, subject to the direction and outcome of his research, whether into the chinese earthquake of 2008 for works such as straight, 200812 and remembering, 2009 or the worldwide plight of refugees and forced migrants for law of the journey and his feature.
A time and place where the more outrageously antiauthoritarian and oppositional the statement, the better. Questions of value of unique and irreplaceable artefacts, and of individual human lives are recurrent themes in. I finally had the opportunity to visit the installation of his work on alcatraz island, and walked away as impressed as ever. Ai weiweis laundromat addresses the refugee crisis. On the choice of music as his latest creative endeavor, ai explains, during my detention, the conditions were very restrictive, but the guards would. Beijing, may 22, 20 the ai weiwei studio released ai weiwei s new heavy metal single, dumbass, the first piece of ai weiwei s forthcoming music album the divine comedy. Ai weiwei a global citizen, artist and thinker, ai weiwei moves between modes of production and investigation, subject to the direction and outcome of his research, whether into the chinese earthquake of 2008 for works such as straight, 200812 and remembering, 2009 or the worldwide plight of refugees and forced migrants for law of the journey and his featurelength documentary, human flow. Documenting a huge range of international projects with drawings, plans, and photographs of finished work, ai weiwei. According to what, adapted and expanded by the hirshhorn museum and sculpture garden from a 2009 exhibition at tokyos mori art museum, was ais first north american museum retrospective.
Ai weiwei, blog post, october 1, 2006 known as one of the worlds most provocative artists, ai weiwei chinese, b. At the same time it became marked by ai weiweis vision of creating a free and democratic open public space and a birds nest olympic stadium, 2007 beijing, china. Ai weiwei was born in 1957 as the son of ai qing 19101996, one of the most renowned communist poets in the ear ly years of the peoples republic of china. Here is an indepth look at ai weiweis laundromat project on display in new york. Tinari, director of the ullens center for contemporary art in beijing and curator of armory focus.
He then returned to china, an environment far less open to such views. A cultural figure of international renown, ai weiwei is an activist, architect, curator, filmmaker, and chinas most famous artist. Ai weiwei is a figure who seems to have been used, and used badly, by the chinese state. He is the son of poet ai ching ai ching or ai qing, pseud. Find more works of this artist at best visual art database. What picasso was to the 20th century, ai weiwei is to the 21st, and if our century is to be the chinese century, then its fitting that the greatest artist of the age is chinese. The blueprint of the birds nest emerged from an international competition to design the principal stadium for the 2008 olympics. China at the armory show 2014 in new york city, curator philip tinari reflects on the work of chinese artist ai weiwei. China, notes ais fascination with artists marcel duchamp and andy warhol and the resulting influence upon the. In this short interview, the chinese artist talks about his first building, his sources of inspiration and his downtoearth approach to architecture.
Contemporary ceramics has never seen a showman like ai weiwei. Ai weiwei creates artworks using a variety of media that engage with and question political, social, and historical contexts in china and globally. The philosophy of ai weiwei from andy warhol and back. Writings on human life and the refugee crisis by the most important political artist of our time ai weiwei b. See more ideas about ai weiwei, art and art lessons. His father, a famous revolutionary poet, fell out of favor with the chinese communist government. Ai weiwei article about ai weiwei by the free dictionary. Ai came of age as an art student in 1990s new york. Free ai weiwei is an information hub that started when the chinese artist and activist ai weiwei disappeared for 81 days in march 2011. Alcatraz island september 27, 2014 to april 26, 2015 if you have read this blog often you will know that i am a huge ai weiwei fan. Spatial matters also includes excerpts from ai weiweis famous blog shut down by chinese authorities in. Architecture is an important but perhaps lesserknown aspect of ai weiweis practice. After studying painting in france 192932, where he discovered realist literature and was particularly influenced by the belgian poet. Ai weiwei is a chinese contemporary artist, active in blogging, sculpture, installation, architecture, curating, photography, film, and social, political and cultural criticism.
In 1958, ai qing was arrested as part of the chinese antirightist cam paign. These collaborations were the subject of ai weiwei. His involvement with large, media intensive, iconic architectural projects is a mirror of the situation many architects face, when working with politically repressive, socially unjust, economically disparate, and environmentally unsustainable governments. Chinese artist and activist ai weiwei has designed a light blue flag with a white footprint, to raise awareness about the importance. Until the authorities returned his passport on july 22, 2015, ai. Ai weiwei online teacher resource ago art gallery of ontario. Artarchitecture, a 2011 exhibition at the kunsthaus bregenz in austria, which this catalogue accompanies. Ai weiwei and architecture event royal academy of arts. It is now a source for news about the artist and his work. Ai weiwei, 55, is a global superstar of contemporary art. He was sent to a labor camp, and he continued to live in exile with his wife and son, ai weiwei who was one year. Ais passport has not been returned to him and his freedom of travel remains restricted.
His work has captured global attention and served to bring attention to social injustices, human rights violations. As our landmark exhibition examines work from 1993 up to the present day, we take a look at some of. There is so much that has been written on this exhibit that i am going to simply show you a few photos with explanations and encourage. This monumental volume, developed in association with the artist, draws on the full breadth of ai weiweis architectural, installation, and activist work, with a focus on his use of space. While ais art was lauded internationally, the frequently provocative and subversive dimension of his art, as well as his political outspokenness. These two themes have affected and galvanised the artist. Ai weiwei, wadegiles romanization ai weiwei, born may 18. Ai weiwei, architecture and space, blog posted january 2006 introduction artist ai weiwei occupied alcatraz, one of north americas most infamous penitentiaries, via artworks designed to provoke our perception of freedom and imprisonment. Upon his release, he lived under probationary condition in beijing without a passport, unable to travel outside of the country.
Ai weiwei designs footprint flag as a symbol for human rights. This passionate polymath has taken on the vast history of chinas ceramic art, broken it apart literally, turned it upside down, reassembled it in fresh ways, vandalized treasures by iron age potters, questioned the authenticity of his countrys ceramic. Along with a huge number of buildings realised over a decade with his studio fake design and in collaboration with international architects, architectural thinking permeates his art, writing and curatorial practice. Ai weiwei is a chinese contemporary artist, active in sculpture, installation, architecture, curating, photography, film, and social, political and cultural. Ai weiweis work reflects his multiple artistic identities as conceptual artist, architect, filmmaker, designer, curator, writer, and publisher. The first comprehensive monograph on the life and work of activist and dissident chinese artist ai weiwei, this luxurious, silkwrapped tome takes. Open in his criticism of the chinese government, ai was famously detained for months in 2011, then released to house arrest. Ai weiwei was born in 1957, a remarkable figure of chinese conceptual art and excessivism.
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