Conceptual artist Ai Weiwei has been actively creating works in various media for many years, including sculpture, ceramics, installations, photography, film, architecture, etc. I believe that visitors to the M+ Museum will have a deep impression of the ceramic work “White Wash” displayed by the artist.
Based in Cambridge, UK, Ai Weiwei recently held a solo exhibition at the Kettle’s Yard gallery at Cambridge University titled “Ai Weiwei: The Liberty of Doubt,” exploring core concepts of “truth, authenticity, value” through a series of ceramic works, as well as addressing the crises of globalization, the COVID-19 pandemic, and current geopolitics.
Ai Weiwei has been creating art using traditional Chinese craftsmanship since the 1990s. He has shattered antiques with historical value and reconstructed them, as well as painted the globalized Coca-Cola logo on bottles. By showcasing and transforming these crafts, he questions the original value of the objects and uses this as a critique of politics and tradition.
In this exhibition, Ai Weiwei will, for the first time, juxtapose his own works with historical artifacts. The antiques on display were acquired by the artist at an auction in Cambridge in 2020. After his appraisal, he concluded that some of them were artifacts from the Northern Wei Dynasty, while others were fakes. The exhibition hall also features an installation piece of the artist’s performance art “Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn” from 1995, with the unique aspect being that the images presented are actually recreated using LEGO.
The artist also brings exquisite jade, marble, and porcelain to explore contemporary political and cultural issues in their work.
In addition, the exhibition will also screen the artist’s three documentaries “Coronation” (2020), “Cockroach” (2020), and “Human Flow” (2017). These films document the current pandemic crisis, social movements in Hong Kong, and the global immigration crisis.
“Ai Weiwei: The Liberty of Doubt”
Date: From now until June 19
Location: University of Cambridge Kettle’s Yard
Learn more: Kettle’s Yard
Image source: Kettle’s Yard, instagram@aiww
