Ai Weiwei Essays

Ai Weiwei is perhaps China’s most famous living artist, he is recognized as an advocate of universal human rights criticizing the Chinese government's infringement on civil liberties making him notorious to the People's Republic of China (PRC). The PRC has responded to Ai’s political advocacy through his art since 2008, in particular concerning Ai’s fight for the freedom of speech. Reacting to injustices he encountered with the PRC, Ai was tortured because of his statements, and convicted for his

In this essay I will be discussing how Ai Weiwei and Felix Gonzalez-Torres have engaged with social or community based practices throughout their artwork and how their works relate to earlier movements of socially engaged art. Both artists have a strong political stance and use socially engaged art as a medium to raise questions and reach a broad (global?) audience. Firstly I will introduce Ai weiwei and Felix Gonzalez-Torres. Then I will examine Ai Weiwei’s work Sunflower Seeds 2010 and Gonzales-Torres’s

Ai Weiwei Profile Creativity is one of the most important tools for our brain to increase its knowledge. In almost anything we do, from learning how to reading and write to mastering a painting, there are always many ways to approach it. Sometimes, we may have to challenge our brains to rely on our past experience, use curiosity, and creativity to accomplish our goals. For example, their are many ways to solve a math problem and some of us may solve it differently than others. However, if you are

Ai Wei Wei’s politically fueled installation Remembering covered the façade of the Haus der Kunst in Munich, Germany in 2009, where he had a show titled, So Sorry. The work, Remembering, which measured one hundred meters by ten meters, was compiled of nine thousand children’s backpacks. Using simple colors and design techniques, Ai Wei Wei’s installation not only catches the viewers’ attention with sheer size, but also ignites a deeper emotional spark and fueled a lasting conversation whose reach

Weiwei exemplifies what it means for a visual artist to use their role in society and social power for the greater good in China. Weiwei is a well-known activist, cultural figure, and famous artist in China who creates astounding art that encourages social engagement against the Chinese government (Artsy.net, 2017). Since Weiwei is in a different geographic region, the way that he portrays his art to the people of China is significantly different compared to the message that is delivered to different

Ai Weiwei is an extraordinary man that puts his life at risk every day for the people of China. He has been in jail on several occasions because of the way he expresses himself openly and as a result, is watched very closely by the Chinese Government. Ai Weiwei uses his artwork to show his viewpoint on issues in China such as human rights and freedom of expression. Not only does he use his artwork to show this, he also uses social media such as Twitter and Instagram to reach out to the public. Ai

Ai Weiwei has it both ways: everything he might do sets off a whirlwind in both governmental issues and expressions beats in real media outlets around the globe. His fame as an artist talk around his craft. Never Sorry follows the change of a disputable Chinese craftsman into a global symbol of difference. This move, which started with Ai 's prominent denouncement of the Beijing Olympics after he composed the celebrated around the world "Winged animal 's Nest" stadium, That work raised with his examination

Several attempts have been made in order to insert artists Andy Warhol and Ai Weiwei into a single discourse, including a major recent show sponsored by the Warhol Museum and the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne. As a further attempt at enabling conversation between the two artists, I will be analyzing both Warhol’s and Ai’s portrayal of the self through Warhol’s Self-Portrait (1986) and Ai’s Illuminations (2014). Both pieces photographically represent the artists, although in quite disparate

Similarly, Wael Ghonim is labeled as an international pro-democracy figure, Wael is famous for being the man who sparked the Arab spring. Ai Weiwei's was born on August 28th 1957 in Beijing, although he spent his early childhood in a labor camp after his family got exiled during The Anti-Rightist Movement. Ai lived in Xinjiang for 16 years until finally returning to Beijing. He studied art in several schools in the United States before returning to

and videos. Artist Ai Weiwei is commonly known for his sculpture and installation work, however the integration of social media in his artwork has recently become a popular aspect of his work, personality and political protests. This essay will discuss his 2014 work ‘Illumination’ and the technology Weiwei used to create and exhibit it. BP1: ARTWORK Ai Weiwei’s artwork, titled ‘Illumination’, is a powerful photograph of an important moment in the artist’s life. In 2011 Weiwei was arrested by Chinese

“A Reaction to Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry” The power behind politics goes beyond simple governing and finds its way into the social constructs that play roles within the lives of all people in some form or another. However, political power is connected with authoritative power and it’s not a secret that authoritative power sets boundaries and expectations for citizens within each region. These boundaries and expectations are typically the forces that keep people obedient and aware of social constructs

Ai Weiwei - Interviewed by Sophie Cottrill Admired throughout the world for his amazing artwork and fearless politics, Ai Weiwei is the subject of the fascinating new documentary ‘Who’s afraid of Ai Weiwei’. Born in Beijing China in 1957 Ai Weiwei has led an amazingly courageous and creative life as the most politically outspoken artist in China today. His willingness to confront social issues across a broad range of media, including twitter, has led to him spending time in Chinese prisons for his

Does Ai Weiwei’s “Sunflower Seeds” reflect the social, political and economic status of China? Justin Boon ARTH-271 Professor Farris Fall 2014  Does Ai Weiwei’s “Sunflower Seeds” reflect the social, political and economic status of China? In order to understand his work, we must first understand Ai Weiwei as an artist, his other works, as well as the inspiration and motivation behind them. We must also understand China as a country and its political climate in order to ascertain a degree

themselves. The famous artist and activist, Ai Weiwei, has worked to reform chinese economy. The artist uses his art to symbolize their social issues. Furthermore, he uses pictures to represent the destruction of his culture and post them on substantial social media outlets. His bold moves led him to get brutally beaten by police and then hospitalized for rebelling against his country. However, he still continues to stand up the right of the chinese. Ai Weiwei rebels his culture through art and poetry

NurfaridahUtami Dewi 1407214 4B2 Real Steel Real steel is a science fiction sport film which was directed by Shawn Levy. This film is based on a short story "Steel", written by Richard Matheson , and originally published in the May 1956 edition of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction , and later adapted into a 1963 Twilight Zone episode , though screenwriter John Gatins placed the film in U.S fairs and other "old-fashioned" American settings. Real Steel was released historically by Touchstone

FHIL, better known as Florida Hospital Innovation Lab is a center based on the ideals of human centered design through the creation of an innovation. On Tuesday March 28th, I visited FHIL for the first time and went through the design making process with the five steps consisting of: empathy, reframing, ideate, prototyping, and testing. The experience began as people were split into teams of five people, each with a different challenge they’re trying to solve. My group’s challenge was to develop

government. However, even Ai has acknowledged the allegory between his politics and the artistic tradition to which he is linked, saying, “Duchamp had the bicycle wheel, Warhol had the image of Mao. I have a totalitarian regime: that is my readymade.” Ai’s words, likening his dogged opposition of the Chinese government to Warhol’s screenprints of the communist revolutionary leader, throws a different light on the public perception of Warhol’s ultra-famous work, Delany believes. “Ai Weiwei’s work engages

Ai Weiwei’s 1995 piece, Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn, is a revolutionary documentation of difficult art that also challenges normal beliefs of what art is. Weiwei is seen dropping a priceless urn. On the exterior, this simply looks like a man with too much free time dropping a priceless artifact, however, this may challenge the audience to think as to why someone would cause such destruction. Weiwei is disturbing the audience in their own perception of art. One might believe it can’t be art if

Alison Klayman: Embracing Inclusivity and Diversity Within the Documentary Tradition Claudia Root Michael Baker HIST10199: The Art of Documentary April 8th, 2024. Alison Klayman is a bold and inspiring documentary filmmaker known for her films highlighting certain minorities and exploring themes of social injustice. Klayman has won several awards for her work and was the youngest director named on the New York Times’ “20 Directors to Watch” list. In 2006, Klayman graduated from Brown University

consumer magazines.” > Understanding how the work criticises the meeting of commodity and domesticity in which “selfhood and commodity meet to make each other in the other’s image.” critiquing the value in a time of mass production placed on ‘things’. AI WEIWEI > Employing Sunflower Seeds and focusing on Weiwei’s artistic choice to “handcraft rather than industrially-produce” an industrial sized amount of “seeds helps undo imaginations of China as simply the ‘factory of the world’, characterised by…the