Chinese contemporary artist Ai Weiwei(1957 ) is best known for his sociopolitical activism.
His controversial artworks express radical criticism on human rights violations, the abuse of power, corruption and censorship. This is no surprise as Ai's childhood was spent in exile in various labour camps until Mao Zedong's death in 1976.
During his animation studies at the Beijing Film Academy, Ai became a member of the Stars, an avant garde art collective with with Ma Desheng, Wang Keping, Huang Rui, Li Shuang, Ah Cheng and Qu Leilei.
Whilst residing in the USA(1981-1993), the oeuvre of Warhol, Johns and Duchamp inspired him to get involved in conceptual art and ready made objects. The New York photographs were made at that time.
When Ai's father, well known poet Ai Qing, became ill, Ai returned to China.
The provocative series Studies of Perspective (1995-2003) are photographs of his middle finger and cultural monuments, such as the White House, the Eiffel Tower.
With Chinese curator Feng Boyi he curated the Fuck Off exhibition in Shanghai(2000) and co published a trilogy about the experimental artists of Beijing East Village: Black Cover Book (1994), White Cover Book (1995), and Gray Cover Book (1997). In 2003 he created the architecture studio FAKE Design.
At Documenta(2007) 1001 Chinese citizens were invited to Germany to become a living installation: Fairytale. In 2010 the popular Sunflower Seeds exhibition, composed of 100 million hand made, painted porcelain sunflower seeds, took place in Tate Modern.
In 2011 charges of tax evasion led to a three month detention.
Protests and petitions were organized by the European Union, the US and museums such as Tate Modern.
In 2012 Alison Klayman made a documentary about the artist, entitled Never Sorry.
Ai and his assistants have made video installations about traffic and the urban development in Beijing, the Sichuan earthquake, the cat eating industry, Fukushima, Aids, ... .
More recently Ai's team focused on the refugee crisis by means of photographical series, the documentary Human Flow and an installation of 14,000 life vests around the columns of the Konzerthaus Berlin concert hall (2016).
A warm plea for freedom of speech, freedom of expression and human rights.
Until 18/02/2019 @ FOMU Antwerp
Fairytale
