Ai Weiwei

AI WEIWEI (Beijing, 1957).
"Middle finger in red". 2023.
Two-color silkscreen on 410 grams Somerset Tub paper.
Edition of 1285 copies.
Signed and numbered by the artist.
Measurements: 60 x 60 cm.

The "Middle finger" project started with "Perspective Study", a photographic series made by Ai Weiwei between 1995 and 2017. It features Ai's left arm extended forward with the middle finger raised towards institutions, landmarks and monuments around the world. These images mimic photos of tourists and encourage people to question their adherence and acceptance towards governments, institutions and establishments. This series expresses Ai's beliefs about freedom of expression, people's empowerment and democratic values, and shows his activist side in all its glory. From there, the gesture of the extended middle finger was re-signified by Ai Weiwei as a symbolic manifestation of his critical stance and active involvement in socio-political denunciation.

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.