He has now disappeared and in doing so has become more than an important contemporary artist, see the phaidon monograph for a good survey. For refugees getting off the boat, it is not ai weiwei the artist who steadies their hand. Internationally acclaimed chinese contemporary artist ai weiwei has reinterpreted the twelve bronze animal heads representing the traditional chinese zodiac that once adorned the famed fountainclock of the yuanming yuan, an imperial retreat in beijing. Ai weiwei on alcatraz was presented by the forsite foundation in partnership with the national park service and the golden gate national parks conservancy. How chinese artist ai weiwei became an enemy of the state. Documenta started in 1955 and has taken place every five years since 1972. Learn more about the piece and artist, and its final selling price. Arts documentary, first broadcast before ai weiwei s arrest by the chinese authorities in april 2011, and his subsequent release after being detained for 11 weeks. All i wanted was a dictionary, even the simplest one. I ended up going to china and unexpectedly staying for four years. Support for the exhibition is provided by roger evans and aey phanachet, the fisher family, and other generous donors. Ai weiweis blog is a collection of courageously honest rants. Ai weiwei, chinese artist and activist whose work included sculptural installations, architectural projects, photographs, and videos. Why is ai weiwei considered to be one of chinas most compelling artists of today.
Some of his photographs document influential individuals, including the composer tan dun and the poet allen ginsberg. Besides this act of remembering through an assembled name list of the departed children, he. In 2011, ai weiwei was arrested at beijing capital international airport on 3 april, for economic crimes. Ai weiwei is returning to the world but he is not entirely free. Mar 05, 2011 the fact that the basic structure of the sculpture is circular, could suggest the neverending traditions of the chinese people or how weiwei perceives they are stuck in a cycle of dictators and political unrest in china. What is the meaning behind ai weiwei s sunflower seed installation at the tate modern. With all due respect to ai weiwei, as hes a magnificent artist, and certainly his family suffered greatly, hes confusing what he went through in china with something that china was decidedly not. Apr 26, 2012 ai weiweis dropping a han dynasty urn 1995 is a slightly largerthanlife triptych of blackandwhite photographs that document a performance. A cultural figure of international renown, ai weiwei is an activist, architect, curator, filmmaker, and chinas most famous artist.
The family did not return to beijing until the death of mao zedong in 1976. The internet is still busy commenting on ai weiweis latest misguided installation at berlins konzerthaus, which involved attaching 14,000 life jackets flown in from the greek island of. When you pinch his ear, he says its no cure for diarrhea. Artist awash in the land of refugees special report news issue.
Ai weiweis freedom by fiat in china the new yorker. With alan yentob, weiwei ai, ethan cohen, joan lebold cohen. Without fear or favour arts documentary, first broadcast before ai weiweis arrest by the chinese authorities in april 2011, and his subsequent. It is now a source for news about the artist and his work. This book is also a sobering reminder of the price some pay for testing the boundaries of expression in a country that fears freedom. Ai weiwei films and other works what is he doing, and why, how does art create change, dissent, communication. Find more works of this artist at best visual art database. Ai weiwei without fear or favour, bbc one imagine a china where artists are unrestrained. China imposes new ban on ai weiwei whos afraid of ai. Ai s passport has not been returned to him and his freedom of travel remains restricted. Circle of animalszodiac heads is the artists first major public sculpture project. Ai weiwei began citizens investigation to remember the children who perished in the sichuan earthquake, and to console the parents who lost them.
Without fear or favour is not showing in any theaters in the area. Architect, photographer, curator and blogger, ai weiwei is chinas most famous and politically outspoken contemporary artist. I was in jail 81 days, but after 20 days my brain became completely empty. Ai weiwei is a chinese contemporary artist, active in blogging, sculpture, installation, architecture, curating, photography, film, and social, political and cultural criticism. Opinion hitting china with humor, ai weiweistyle the. Each chinese new year, i create a different poster of the gods for netizens to download and post on their doors. Austria start, without fans, feasible for f1 reuters. Jun 21, 2012 ai weiwei, the artist known for his provocative challenges to chinas police state, told npr today that hes been banned from leaving the country. Ai weiwei was born in 1957, a remarkable figure of chinese conceptual art and excessivism.
With his level of exposure and following across the internet its hard to imagine a cooling off time where his presence. The fact that the basic structure of the sculpture is circular, could suggest the neverending traditions of the chinese people or how weiwei perceives they are stuck in a cycle of dictators and political unrest in china. Free ai weiwei is an information hub that started when the chinese artist and activist ai weiwei disappeared for 81 days in march 2011. Firsttime director alison klayman gained unprecedented access to ai while working as a journalist in china. Ai weiwei has heavily criticized the chinese government through social media. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more. Open in his criticism of the chinese government, ai was famously detained for months in 2011, then released to house arrest.
Ai weiwei wanted to work outside of conventional art forms and create instead something with people. Ai weiwei multilingual edition holzwarth, hans werner, weiwei, ai on. When i graduated from brown university in 2006 i wanted to travel abroad to have adventures, learn a new language, and try to get work as a journalist and documentary filmmaker. Msn new zealand latest news, hotmail, outlook, photos. While ais art was lauded internationally, its frequently provocative dimension as well as his political outspokenness triggered forms of repression from chinese authorities. Get time photos and pictures of the week delivered directly to your inbox.
Ai weiwei on his lego portraits of fellow activists the chinese artist created trace while under house arrest, and he wasnt allowed to travel to their san francisco debut. Jun 04, 2019 hans werner holzwarth is a book designer and editor specializing in contemporary art and photography. Ai weiwei is a chinese contemporary artist and activist. Nov 16, 2010 alan yentob had clearly been banned from meeting ai weiwei in china, and so one of their interviews was conducted over a webcam, with yentob sitting in the dark, like some spymaster of the arts. Architect, photographer, curator and blogger, ai weiwei is. Browse content similar to ai weiwei without fear or favour. Download subtitles for ai weiwei without fear or favour alan yentob explores the story of ai weiweis fight for artistic freedom of expression. Ai weiwei article about ai weiwei by the free dictionary. Chinas bestknown artist, ai weiwei, has been detained in beijing and police have searched his studio, confiscated computers and questioned.
Ai weiwei without fear or favour autumn 2010 imagine. Weiweis father is the renowned modern poet ai qing. An outspoken human rights activist, ai was arrested by chinese authorities in april 2011 and held incommunicado for three months. Without fear or favour, a bbc documentary exploring the role of art as an agent of change, or what 100 million porcelain seeds have to do with twitter. Weiwei even brought ginsberg home to meet his father. Without fear or favour documentary, is this decorative art. Provide some details on how ai weiwei created the installation. Alan yentob explores the story of ai weiwei s life and art, and reveals how this most courageous and. His taschen publications include collectors editions like jeff koons, christopher wool, albert oehlen, ai weiwei, and the david hockney sumo a bigger book, as well as monographs like the xxlsized jeanmichel basquiat and survey books such as modern art and art now. Alan yentob reveals how chinese artist ai weiwei continues to fight for artistic freedom of expression. Ai grew up in the far northwest of china, where he lived under harsh conditions due to his fathers exile.
Frontline chronicled some of his early activism in our film whos afraid of ai weiwei. After studying painting in france 192932, where he discovered realist literature and was particularly influenced by the belgian poet. In 2007 ai weiwei created the project fairytale for documenta 12 in kassel, germany considered to be one of the worlds most important art events. He is the son of poet ai ching ai ching or ai qing, pseud. Over 5,000 students in primary and secondary schools perished in the earthquake, yet their names went unannounced.
Alan yentob explores the story of ai weiweis fight for artistic freedom of. Arts documentary, first broadcast before ai weiweis arrest by the chinese authorities in april 2011, and his subsequent release after being detained for 11 weeks. Jul 18, 2011 this fascinating hourlong documentary titled ai weiwei. If you found yourself thinking that you were watching mission. Get your kindle here, or download a free kindle reading app. Without fear or favour, released by bbc ones imagine program earlier this year and recorded shortly prior to ai weiweis arrest, helps contextualize his work, its cultural significance and its implicit political tensions. Its a very, very strong test i think more severe than any physical punishment. Feb 26, 20 ai weiwei is a chinese artist, poet, architect, curator, publisher, urbanist, collector, blogger, and political activist.
Upon his release, he was prohibited from traveling abroad, engaging in public speech, and was subjected to continued government surveillance. Ai weiwei shocks with cinema for peace photo artnet news. Al weiwei is chinas most famous and politically outspoken contemporary artist. Wherever fear dominates, true happiness vanishes and individual willpower runs dry. Frequently asked questions for director alison klayman q. Ai weiwei ai weiwei is one of the most famous chinese artists working today, and is renowned for creating the birds nest olympic stadium in beijing, despite his lack of formal architectural training. Ai weiwei s deft use of social media has made him one of the most wellknown artists and dissidents in the world. Influenced by the likes of jasper johns and andy warhol as well as duchamp, he also draws influence from his cultural roots. His father was identified as a political dissident by the chinese government and in 1958 the entire family was sent to a labor camp. Ai weiwei holding some of his sunflower seeds at tate modern. Never sorry is the inside story of a dissident for the digital age who inspires global audiences and blurs the boundaries of art and politics. Without fear or favour 2010 bbc, directed by matthew springford duration. When youre ready to strike, he mumbles about nonviolence. He is not even so famous for many of the young volunteers.
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