Ai Weiwei

AI WEIWEI (Beijing, 1957).
"Mask with middle finger". 2020
Surgical mask silkscreened with ink on propylene fabric.
In original envelope and accompanied by explanatory text signed by the artist.
Measurements: 10 x 17 cm.

Face mask printed with the iconic image of Weiwei's campaign claiming freedom of expression and the rights of individuals. The series of the masks was an initiative of the artist to raise funds for humanitarian efforts in the wake of Covid-19 for Human Rights Watch (HRW), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and Refugees International.

Ai Weiwei is a contemporary activist and artist. Ai collaborated with Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron as an artistic advisor on the Beijing National Stadium for the 2008 Olympic Games. As an activist, he has consistently criticized the Chinese government for its stance on democracy and human rights. He has also investigated government corruption and cover-ups in China, particularly the case of the collapse of schools in Sichuan after the 2008 earthquake. On April 3, 2011, he was detained at Beijing International Airport, held for 81 days without official charges, and officials alluded all to "economic crimes." In 1978, Ai enrolled at the Beijing Film Academy and studied animation. In 1978, he was one of the founders of the avant-garde group "Stars" with avant garde influences, along with Ma Desheng, Wang Keping, Huang Rui, Li Shuang, Zhong Acheng and Qu Leilei. The group disbanded in 1983, however Ai participated regularly in exhibitions held by the group, such as The Stars: Ten Years in 1989 (Hanart Gallery, Hong Kong and Taipei) and a retrospective exhibition in Beijing in 2007: Origin Point (now Beijing Museum of Art). In 2014, Ai Weiwei made an installation called Illumination set in a former prison hospital, intended to look and feel like a horror movie. For this work, In 1993, Ai returned to China after his father became ill. He helped establish the experimental artists' group "Beijing East Village" and co-published a series of three books on this new generation with Chinese curator Feng Boyi: Black Cover Book (1994), White Cover Book (1995) and Gray Cover Book (1999). In 1999 he moved to Caochangdi, northeast of Beijing, and built a studio house, his first architectural project. Due to his interest in architecture, he founded FALSA Design Studio in 2003. In 2000, he co-curated the art exhibition "Fuck Off" with curator Feng Boyi in Shanghai, China.