Ai Weiwei is an internationally renowned Chinese artist known for rigorous, compassionate and complex artworks that address political, ethical and social urgency subjects. His oeuvre encompasses architecture, public art and performance.
His art powerfully relates to Chinese culture’s themes, yet the artistic vocabulary through which these are explored strongly resonates with his time spent in the United States. As a matter of fact, the artist moved to New York in 1981 and stayed for over ten years. During this time, Weiwei became deeply influenced by the works of Western art’s Masters such as Marcel Duchamp, Andy Warhol and Jasper Johns. From Duchamp, he inherited a kind of radical daring: a willingness to challenge and demystify the status quo.
His work has been the subject of numerous solo exhibitions at venues including the Mori Art Museum, Tokyo (2009), Tate Modern, London (2010), Taipei Fine Art Museum (2011), Asia Society, New York (2011) and many more.
“ If there is no freedom of expression, then the beauty of life is lost. Participation in a society is not an artistic choice, it’s a need „