Was born into a creative family in Beijing. His father, Ai Qing, was a well-known modernist poet; his mother was also engaged in literature. For disagreeing with the political regime of the ruling party, the family was sent to a labor camp in Beidahuang, and then to Xinjiang Province, where Ai spent his childhood.
1957
Ai Weiwei
description
A Chinese dissident artist, sculptor, architect, installation master, social and political activist. Ai Weiwei is known throughout the world as one of the creators of the project of the Olympic stadium “Bird’s Nest” in Beijing and the author of bright, most often provocative compositions in which he draws attention to critical social problems.
Many of the artist’s works are criticized by the Chinese communist regime, for which he was repeatedly persecuted by the government. In 2011, Ai Weiwei was arrested at a Beijing airport and searched; Internet resources related to his name were blocked, and he was banned from leaving China. These events caused a great resonance in the world of art. Many artists and art figures supported Weiwei and organized protests in major cities in Europe and America.
The works of the Chinese artist are art objects made of a wide variety of things, ranging from a huge chandelier to children’s backpacks and sunflower seeds. Each of his works carries a strong emotional and semantic load; it is designed to draw public attention to unresolved problems and injustice in the structure of society in his country. Weiwei’s actual social theme, courage and perseverance in the fight for justice together with his original artistic vision make him one of the most prominent figures in contemporary art.
Key ideas:
– Many of Ai Weiwei’s creations can be called provocative and shocking. One way to attract attention is the so-called “artistic vandalism”, when, during the performance, the artist broke several priceless vases of the Han dynasty or mutilated them with Coca-Cola inscriptions, expressing his disagreement with the attitude of the government towards the cultural heritage of the country.
– Most of the artist’s works are related to China. In them, Weiwei often uses elements of traditional Chinese culture, interpreting them in accordance with his idea. Sculptures, installations and architectural creations reveal social injustice, oppression of ordinary people who do not have the right to vote in their country.
– The conceptual artist makes the viewer look at ordinary objects from an unexpected angle. Old bicycles, chairs, children’s backpacks, which he uses for his projects, are not works of art but in a certain context make you think about important things. With the help of unusual visual means, it is easier for the artist to arouse the interest of the viewer and focus on those problems that he would like to solve.
– Ai Weiwei’s creative approach is based on the direct participation of the audience in the process of creating and understanding a work of art. Despite all the prohibitions, the artist constantly posts his creative plans on the Internet, shares his ideas and draws people’s attention to certain events. Many of his installations imply the ability to go inside the composition, becoming part of it for the time being. One of the largest projects was the “Fairytale” performance, which was attended by 1,001 readers of Weiwei’s blog, for whom he paid for moving from China to Germany to participate in the exhibition.
1957
1978
1981
1993
2003
2007
2008
2011
2015
Was born into a creative family in Beijing
He entered the Beijing Film Academy
After the family returned to Beijing, he entered the Beijing Film Academy to study as an animator. During the training, he met young artists who later created the Stars art group.
He moved to the United States
Fearing state persecution, he moved to the United States. There, the artist settled in New York and entered the Parsons School of Design. Ai Weiwei got acquainted with contemporary art movements, primarily pop art and conceptual art, which had a huge impact on him. At that time, he began to create his first installations based on the “readymade” works of Marcel Duchamp.
He returned to China
In connection with his father’s illness, he returned to China. In Beijing, the artist organized experimental workshops “The Eastern Outskirts of Beijing”, in which he and his associates worked. Weiwei published a book in three volumes, which was devoted to contemporary artists and painting styles.
«Fuck Off»
Became one of the organizers of the architectural studio FAKE Design in Beijing. Together with other artists, Ai Weiwei became the curator of the infamous “Fuck Off” exhibition in Shanghai, after which the Chinese authorities became interested in the artist. In the same year, Weiwei was approved by one of the designers of the Beijing Olympic Stadium, which was later called the Bird’s Nest.
Organized the project "Tales"
Organized the project “Tales”, which was attended by ordinary Chinese, subscribers to his blog on the Internet. One thousand one people flew to the German city of Kassel to take part in the Documenta festival.
Initiated a civil investigation of the deaths of children...
Initiated a civil investigation of the deaths of children during an earthquake in Sichuan province, proving that the tragedy occurred due to poorly constructed schools. On his blog, the artist published lists of the dead, as the government was hiding this information. In response, officials closed access to the artist’s block and forbade him to use the Internet.
Ai Weiwei was arrested at Beijing
Ai Weiwei was arrested at Beijing Airport. Without bringing him any charges, the artist was kept in custody for 80 days. This event caused a great resonance in the world of art. Many famous artists and ordinary citizens spoke in support of the Chinese dissident. In the same year, the artist was released from custody, fearing large-scale protests.
He lives in Berlin
The artist received amnesty and was no longer persecuted by the Chinese government. He received permission to leave the country and lives in Berlin. Ai Weiwei continues to engage in creative activities, creates installations and feature films on refugee issues.
description
Ai Weiwei prepared this interesting large-scale performance-project for the world-wide exhibition-festival “Documenta”, which takes place every five years in the German city of Kassel. He invited 1001 Chinese readers of his blog to this exhibition, paying them for travel, accommodation and other facilities. For ordinary Chinese people, such a trip turned out to be a real fairy tale, since they could not even dream of the opportunity to visit Europe. In addition to inviting people, the artist also acquired 1001 chairs of the Qin Dynasty - the artist placed pieces of furniture throughout the territory allocated for the exhibition.
2007