He was released on bail more than two months later, with chinese state media reporting that he had confessed to. It is now a source for news about the artist and his work. A documentary reveals the remarkable chinese artist ai weiwei to be a mysterious, opaque. Ais passport has not been returned to him and his freedom of travel remains restricted. This towering personality and instantly recognisable icon, is known the world over for his heroic. His father was very wellknown in china, and had been imprisoned by the nationalist government before ais birth on suspicion of being a leftist. In reinterpreting these objects on an oversized scale, ais circle of animalszodiac heads focuses attention on questions of looting and repatriation, while continuing his ongoing exploration of the fake and the copy in relation to the original installed in nathan phillips square in advance of the exhibition ai weiwei. My artistic talent, in comparison to past classmates and relatives, has always been overshadowed so subsequently i had little desire to develop whatever talents i did possess. Find an indepth biography, exhibitions, original artworks for sale, the latest news, and sold auction prices. Ai weiwei holding some of his sunflower seeds at tate modern. Jul 18, 2011 creative visionary, political activist and postmodern renaissance man ai weiwei is chinas most widely known and politically vocal contemporary artist. Without fear or favour 2010, and there are several overlaps in content, though klaymans film benefits from much more extensive access to ai himself, as well as several caughtonthewing encounters with officialdom a memorable highlight involves ai filming policemen who are in turn filming. An outspoken human rights activist, ai was arrested by chinese authorities in april 2011 and held incommunicado for three months.
Alan yentob explores the story of ai weiwei s life and art, and reveals how this most courageous and. He later became a member of the artist group stars, which refused to create chinese art that followed government guidelines. His work encompasses diverse fields including fine arts, curating, architecture, and social criticism. See more ideas about ai weiwei, wei wei and installation art. 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. He then returned to china, an environment far less open to such views. With alan yentob, weiwei ai, ethan cohen, joan lebold cohen. Nov 05, 2016 given that it is all but unprecedented for an artist to have four simultaneous gallery shows opening on the same day, it is fair to say that ai weiwei is having a new york moment this fall. Ai s passport has not been returned to him and his freedom of travel remains restricted. Nationality and borders are barriers to our intelligence. Weiwei even brought ginsberg home to meet his father. 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. A time and place where the more outrageously antiauthoritarian and oppositional the statement, the better.
Ais release on june 22 came after international pressure from human rights organizations and significant media coverage. From he is not only an artist, not only a scholar, hes a photographer, he designs clothes, hes a specialist on precious stones, hes an antique. Ais career has already fuelled a highprofile bbc documentary, ai weiwei. Without fear or favour is not showing in any theaters in the area. Browse content similar to ai weiwei without fear or favour. Alan yentob reveals how chinese artist ai weiwei continues to fight for artistic freedom of expression.
Notwithstanding, ive always wanted to be able to sculpt, paint, and draw with the same ease and beauty those past friends and. The full list of winners, hosts, and honorees can be found here. Ai weiwei is the son of writer gao ying and poet ai qing. Ai grew up in the far northwest of china, where he lived under harsh conditions due to his fathers exile. Ai weiweis new film yours truly examines political. Ai weiwei is one of the best known artists working today. 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. After spending 12 years in the united states, primarily new york city, in 1993 ai weiwei returned to beijing where he has been an independent artist, curator, writer, architect and activist. Ai weiwei, whose father, ai qing, was among chinas foremost literary figures, occupies an awkward niche in the world of chinese contemporary art. The 57yearold artist, architect, activist, father, and sometime political dissident is sitting at an ad hoc conference table in his studio in beijing. Alan yentob explores the story of ai weiweis life and art, and reveals how this most. I thought all of ai weiweis artwork was thought provoking, pioneering, and courageous and so it is hard for me to isolate.
Apr 26, 2012 read mark singers 2011 talk story about that works visit to new york and evan osnoss profile of ai, from 2010. Ai weiwei, wadegiles romanization ai weiwei, born may 18. Below is ai weiweis acceptance speech from pen americas 2018 litfest gala upon receiving our artistic expression award. Jun 20, 2014 ai weiweis success as an artist on the international stage allows him the luxury of working big. His father was identified as a political dissident by the chinese government and in 1958 the entire family was sent to a labor camp. Jun 04, 2019 hans werner holzwarth is a book designer and editor specializing in contemporary art and photography. Upon his release, he was prohibited from traveling abroad, engaging in public speech, and was subjected to continued government surveillance. Open in his criticism of the chinese government, ai was famously detained for months in 2011, then released to house arrest.
His nowlegendary sunflower seeds installation for the tate modern in october 2010, which took 2. Image courtesy of the artist table with two legs on the wall, 2008 by ai weiwei, from the collection of larry warsh. Without fear or favour, offers cultural and political context to his provocative work, as well as a glimpse into the artists life. Ai weiwei at alcatraz, the public art project that haines and the artist collaborated on in. As an activist, he has been openly critical of the chinese governments stance on democracy and human rights.
Architect, photographer, curator and blogger, ai weiwei is. Architect, photographer, curator and blogger, ai weiwei is chinas most famous and politically outspoken contemporary artist. Free ai weiwei is an information hub that started when the chinese artist and activist ai weiwei disappeared for 81 days in march 2011. Already, weiwei s sister gao ge has publicly stated that because ai was not an officer of fake design that he has no accountability for the tax charges, however bogus. After the peoples republic of china was founded, ai qing was accused again, this time of being a rightist, during chairman maos anti. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more. 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. He can ally himself with major institutions, which can in turn expect his name to draw huge crowds. Documenting the story of ai weiwei whos afraid of ai. Firsttime director alison klayman gained unprecedented access to ai while working as a journalist in china.
Ai weiweis triumphant return in 2011, the controversial artist was detained in beijing and his passport was confiscated for four years by the chinese government. Subsequently he relocated to the united states in 1981 and lived there until 1993. Weiweis father is the renowned modern poet ai qing. See available sculpture, prints and multiples, and photographs for sale and learn about the artist. 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. Ai weiwei tax evasion allegations and a career retrospective.
On 7 november 2010, when ai weiwei was placed under house arrest by public security in beijing, over 1,000 netizens attended the river crab feast at the shanghai studio. This towering personality and instantly recognisable icon, is known the world over for his heroic resistance to the oneparty chinese superpower. China imposes new ban on ai weiwei whos afraid of ai. Ai weiwei was born in 1957, a remarkable figure of chinese conceptual art and excessivism. Alan yentob meets the five surviving members of monty python john cleese, michael palin, terry jones, terry gilliam and eric idle as they prepare to reunite on stage. Beijing, june 22, 20 the ai weiwei studio released ai weiweis first music album, the divine comedy, today to commemorate the second anniversary of his release from an 81day secret detention. This fascinating hourlong documentary titled ai weiwei. Influenced by the likes of jasper johns and andy warhol as well as duchamp, he also draws influence from his cultural roots.
Surveillance camera, marble sculpture by ai weiwei, 2010 ai weiwei, contemporary sculpture. Creative visionary, political activist and postmodern renaissance man ai weiwei is chinas most widely known and politically vocal contemporary artist. In april 2011 ai was detained for alleged economic crimesit was later revealed that he was accused of tax evasionin what was seen as part of a widespread crackdown on dissent. 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. Ai weiwei, surveillance camera, 2010, marble, installation view ai weiweis ability to strike a balance between art objects for aesthetic and intellectual contemplation on the one hand, and a sustained and forceful critique of the chinese political establishment on the other, has made him a potent cultural and political force in recent years. Al weiwei is chinas most famous and politically outspoken contemporary artist. My father cleaned public toilets, even though he was a highly respected poet. Long before we get to art criticism, we have to acknowledge that ai weiwei is without doubt the most prominent face of opposition to one of the most powerful governments of the world today. Ai weiweis famous twitter photo of his crew with police in an elevator in chengdu. Ai weiwei ai weiwei tax evasion allegations and a career retrospective. 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. Alan yentob explores the story of ai weiweis life and art, and reveals how this most courageous and determined of artists continues to. How chinese artist ai weiwei became an enemy of the state. The family did not return to beijing until the death of mao zedong in 1976.
A cultural figure of international renown, ai weiwei is an activist, architect, curator, filmmaker, and chinas most famous artist. Aforementioned considered, i felt intrinsically drawn to the plight, struggles, and artwork of ai weiweis that were highlighted throughout his compelling selftitled documentary, ai weiwei. Ai was placed under house arrest in november 2010 by the chinese police. On 11 january 2011, the shanghai city government forcibly demolished the ai weiwei studio within a day, without any prior notice. Alan yentob reveals how chinese artist ai weiwei continues to. Ai weiwei without fear or favour, bbc one imagine a china where artists are unrestrained. Secondly, charging ai is an easy way to divide and conquer his associates into testifying against him or engage in special pleading on their own, or his, behalf. As our landmark exhibition examines work from 1993 up to the present day, we take a look at some of the key works to know from across ais career.
Ai weiwei has worked in everything from paint to readymades. Without fear or favour 2010 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. While ais art was lauded internationally, the frequently provocative and subversive dimension of his art, as well as his. Ai weiwei is a chinese contemporary artist and activist. Born in beijing in 1957, he moved to xinjiang with his family between 1960 and 1976. Sculpture made of wooden doors and windows from destroyed ming 681644 and qing dynasty 16441911houses. Ai weiwei s provocative art has gotten him harassed by police, thrown in detention and driven out of china. Arts documentary hosted by alan yentob, published by bbc broadcasted as part of bbc imagine series in 2010 english narration cover informationarchitect, photographer, curator and blogger, ai weiwei is chinas most famous and politically outspoken contemporary artist. Ai came of age as an art student in 1990s new york. Find more works of this artist at best visual art database.
Based in china since 2006, she is the beijing correspondent for global radio news and her stories have also. Ai weiwei, fairytale 2007, interview at documenta 12 on. Ai weiwei without fear or favor nabilahs reflections. The single dumbass, premiered last month along with its music video, is included in the album.
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