Ai Weiwei

(Hardback, Multilingual edition)

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As his personal circumstances move in constant flux, Ai Weiwei remains a cultural magnet. Renowned for his political activism and social media activity almost as much as for his social interventions, contemporary approach to the readymade, and knowledge of Chinese traditional crafts, Ais fame extends throughout and beyond the art world.

Drawn from TASCHENs limited Collectors Edition, this monograph explores each of Ais career phases up until his release from Chinese custody. It features extensive visual material to trace Ais development from his early New York days right through to his recent practice. Focus moments include his international breakthrough in the early 2000s, his porcelain Sunflower Seeds at the Turbine Hall of the Tate Modern, his response to the Sichuan earthquake of 2008, and his police detention in 2011. With behind-the-scenes studio pictures, production shots, and numerous statements derived from exclusive interviews with Ai, we gain privileged access to the artists process, influences, and importance.

The book includes texts from Uli Sigg, Ais longtime friend and former Swiss ambassador to China; Roger M. Buergel, who curated the 2007 documenta and hosted the artists Fairytale piece; and experts on Chinese culture and politics: Carlos Rojas, William A. Callahan, and James J. Lally.

Reviews

What Picasso was to the 20th century, Ai Weiwei is to the 21st, and if our century is to be the Chinese Century, then its fitting that the greatest artist of the age is Chinese. TASCHENs new book, meticulously edited and lavishly produced, is the closest youre going to get to an appreciation of Ais work without actually attending one of his exhibitions. * Kyoto Journal *

Author Bio

Hans Werner Holzwarth is a book designer and editor specializing in contemporary art and photography. His TASCHEN publications include the Collectors Editions Jeff Koons, Christopher Wool, Albert Oehlen, Ai Weiwei, and the David Hockney SUMO A Bigger Book, as well as monographs like the XXL-sized Jean-Michel Basquiat. Born in Beijing in 1957, Ai Weiwei is renowned for making strong aesthetic statements that resonate across todays geopolitical world. From architecture to sculpture and installations, social media to documentaries, he uses a wide range of media for new ways of artistically examining society and its values. He is the recipient of the 2015 Ambassador of Conscience Award from Amnesty International and the 2012 Vclav Havel Prize for Creative Dissent from the Human Rights Foundation. Ais first feature-length documentary Human Flow premiered at the 74th Venice Film Festival in competition. He currently lives and works in Cambridge, Berlin, and Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal.