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Ai WeiweiContemporary Chinese artist
Date of Birth: 28.08.1957
Country:  China |
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Biography of Ai Weiwei
Ai Weiwei is a contemporary Chinese artist, curator, architect, and the founder and director of "China Art Archive & Warehouse." He was born in Beijing, China in 1957, and his father was the renowned Chinese poet Ai Qing (1910-1996). From 1958 to 1978, Ai Weiwei lived in Xinjiang, China.
In 1978, he enrolled in the Beijing Film Academy and became one of the founding members of the art group "Stars." In 1982, Ai Weiwei was admitted to the Parsons School of Design in the United States, where he lived predominantly in New York City from 1981 to 1993. He returned to China in 1994 and founded "China Art Archives and Warehouse" in Beijing from 1994 to 1997.
In 2003, Ai Weiwei served as a special design consultant for the National Olympic Stadium for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, collaborating with Herzog & de Meuron. He currently lives and works in Beijing, China.
Ai Weiwei's Art
Ai Weiwei's art often formally draws on the utopian ambitions of Constructivism's "new world." However, he creates subtle political works that take a critical stance towards the radical changes happening in China. His eclectic and energetic activities span a wide range of art and culture, from curating and leading "China Art Archive & Warehouse" to working as an architectural consultant for the "Bird's Nest" (the Beijing Olympic Stadium). Additionally, Ai Weiwei actively exhibits his works around the world.
His company's name, "Fake Design," alludes to China's reputation as a country of counterfeits. However, Ai Weiwei also likes the name because its Chinese pronunciation resembles an English swear word.
Exploration of Traditional Chinese Culture
Ai Weiwei was a founder and member of the artist group known as "Xing Xing" or "Stars." In 1979, the artists exhibited their works on the sidewalk in front of the Beijing Art Museum. However, the exhibition was shut down by the police on the second day.
After returning to China in 1993, Ai Weiwei turned to elements of traditional Chinese culture in his work, using national symbolism in a provocative manner. The artist began to make a name for himself by defacing priceless Chinese artifacts. He dismantled antique furniture and then reassembled it into strange non-functional objects. In one of his works, he allowed a Han Dynasty urn to fall to the ground and shatter (Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn, 1995-2004). Another object of national pride was also defaced when he painted the Coca Cola logo on an ancient vase (Han Dynasty Urn with Coca-Cola Logo, 1994). Ai Weiwei frequently utilizes ceramics in his art, as ceramic art is closely tied to Chinese cultural uniqueness. One of his works, Pillars (2006-2007), consists of a forest of large vases in which visitors can walk among. At the "Documenta" exhibition in 2007, Ai Weiwei presented a large-scale project called Fairytale, in which he invited 1001 Chinese people to Kassel. In addition to the 1001 Chinese people who had the opportunity to visit Europe for the first time, Ai Weiwei bought 1001 chairs from the Qing Dynasty, which could be found throughout the "Documenta" exhibition grounds.
Forever (2003) is a large yet weightless sculpture made from the most useful objects in Chinese everyday life - bicycles. 42 authentic Chinese bicycles (produced from 1940 and still being manufactured in Shanghai) are arranged in a circular installation, forming a monument to infinite movement and a Duchampian readymade.
Descending Light (2007) is a massive chandelier that occupies almost an entire room in the gallery. The artwork consists of 60,000 red crystals. The chandelier does not hang from the ceiling; instead, it appears to have fallen to the ground and lies, still glowing, curved on the floor. The color red is associated with communism and traditional Chinese festivals. Descending Light is part of a series of light sculpture forms that Ai Weiwei began in 2002 with his work Chandelier, created for the Guangzhou Triennial.
The artwork "Worldmap" consists of 2000 layers of clothing carefully cut into the shape of a world map. Creating "Worldmap" required many hands, a deliberate step by Weiwei to emphasize China's status as a place with an abundant supply of cheap labor in the sewing and textile industries.
