The Chinese artist is one of the most celebrated contemporary artists in the East and West, a global citizen who calls for political investigation within his wide practice. Ai Weiwei investigates and questions institutions and regimes at the core of his work, he measures our existence in relation to economic, political, and social forces, while his practice is rooted in Chinese tradition he executes within a contemporary and conceptual creativity.

His provocative blend of Chinese tradition and craftsmanship within fully contemporary practice serves his strong criticism of human rights violations and condemnations of governmental corruption. His own life since childhood has been marked by his struggles and fights against the Chinese Government. His father, a renewed poet, was declared “class enemy” and sent to labor camp with his family. Migrating to New York was his opportunity to expand his artistic vocabularies where he stayed for over a decade. During this time, he became influenced by the works of Marcel Duchamp, Andy Warhol, and Hasper Johns.
He was secretly detained without any official charges being filed for 81 days from April 3 to June 22, 2011 by the Chinese government, and his passport was held for 4 years afterward. Since being allowed to leave China in 2015 he has produced monumental installations and artworks that advocate for refugee rights and make awareness on the global crisis of displacement.

Ai Weiwei

Dissident artist Ai Weiwei is famous for conceptual artworks that challenge authority and explore the links between the contemporary world and traditional Chinese culture.

The prints Obsidian I and Obsidian II represent the two sides of a monumental, jet-black Murano glass chandelier. They have been created using an innovative printing technique that incorporates black pigmented ink, producing what we believe to be the blackest black the studio has ever achieved.The finished prints possess a rich, three-dimensional quality, at a scale that captures even the most minute details with perfect precision.The works are titled Obsidian I and Obsidian II to reflect both the physical and spiritual connection between the prints and the darkest natural substance on Earth, obsidian lava.In ancient times, the Mayans shaped flat sheets of obsidian into scrying mirrors to peer into the underworld. Obsidian is believed to form a shield against negativity, acting as a grounding cord from the base of the spine to the center of the Earth. It is also thought to connect us with our past lives, healing unresolved emotions or traumas carried into the present, offering depth and clarity to our feelings.These two new works stand as a stunning memento mori—a powerful tour de force by one of the world’s greatest living artists.

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