Weiwei, Ai

Ai Weiwei, China’s most important contemporary artist, provocatively combines traditional symbols of Chinese history with contemporary themes in his works. He uses Chinese antiques, ancient trees and roots, old wooden beams from destroyed temples, and urns from the Han dynasty to transform them and place them in new contexts.

The artist is strongly committed to human rights, freedom of expression and democracy and uses his sculptures and large-scale installations to criticize violations of human rights, economic exploitation and environmental pollution, particularly in his home country. He also repeatedly addresses current global issues such as the refugee crisis, environmental destruction and social justice.

In Germany, Ai Weiwei became known at documenta 12 for his artwork “Template”, a sculpture made of old wooden doors and windows from houses demolished in China. The sculpture collapsed after a violent storm and became world-famous as a pile of scrap. His artwork “Sunflower Seeds” consisted of millions of handmade porcelain sunflower seeds as a symbol of the masses and the individual, and the installation “Remembering” commemorated the victims of the Sichuan earthquake with 9,000 children’s backpacks.