Ai Weiwei is an artist we follow. His autobiography 1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows tells some of his story. He was born in 1957. He was part of an art opening generation which quickly closed in Beijing. Then he lived in New York City between 1981 - 1993. He was a street photographer in NYC, including the Tompkins Square Park police riot and AIDS protests. Especially since his New York experience politics and (the lack of) justice has run through his work.
In 2010, The late Portland Museum of Contemporary Craft bright a traveling show Ai Weiwei: Dropping the Urn (Ceramic Works, 5000 BCE – 2010 CE). Weiwei's father had been an antiques dealer and the son has used antiques and Chinese history as a visual, emotional, and conceptual carrier in many of his works.
Of about 10,000 New York City images, 227 were shown at the Asia Society and published as a book in 2011 around the time of his release from being disappeared in China for 81 days. https://gailpellettproductions.com/ai-weiwei-new-york-1983-1993/
In 2012, the Portland Art Museum brought Allison Klayman's documentary Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry. She is an excellent person and filmmaker to watch. That includes her The Brink on Steve Bannon. I recommend any Weiwei documentary and his own vidio projects. Never Sorry is around but hard to find free with English subtitles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBWCqFHjqIw
In 2015, the Portland Art Museum brought Ai Weiwei’s Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads: Gold. Weiwei has created several interpretations of this reprise of famous sculptures stolen from China in 1860. https://archive.orartswatch.org/ai-weiwei-interprets-the-zodiac-for-you/ https://www.pdxmonthly.com/arts-and-culture/2015/05/bring-us-the-heads-of-ai-weiwei-may-2015
Lately Weiwei has focused his lens on refugees of wars of choice in the Middle East. He has also been in Ukraine.
The Seattle Art Museum brought a large retrospective in 2025. His Lego Water Lillies is up for about another week.
Now opens Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads (2010) in bronze at the Seattle Art Museum Olympic Sculpture Park. It's up for a while and the Olympic Sculpture Park is always free. Ai WeiWei https://www.seattleartmuseum.org/whats-on/exhibitions/ai-weiwei-circle-of-animals-zodiac-heads at the Seattle Art Museum Olympic Sculpture Park 2901 Western Avenue Map Free
