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.

https://data.wengcontemporary.com/media/Ai_Weiwei_Study_of_Perspective_in_Glass_with_sets_2024_FkqdDv6.pdf

<p>Ai Weiwei’s middle finger has been a recurrent theme in the artist production. An extension to Ai Weiwei´s&nbsp;Study of Perspective Series (1995-2003) photographic series, the Study of Perspective in glass encourages questioning towards governmental and institutional authorities.</p><p>Transposing from photography to glass casting in an edition of superlative craftsmanship. Created entirely&nbsp;of Murano glass, Study of Perspective in Glass offers innate light and airy qualities of the glass meld. Weiwei has previously conducted works entirely in glass, as seen on Blossom Chandelier, 2017. The technical expertise of glass production dates since the 13th century in the Venetian island of Murano.</p>

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“ 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 „

—Ai Weiwei