Ai Weiwei is one of the bravest artists of our generation, and he uses politics and social commentary throughout his work. He is no stranger to speaking against repression and social injustice. His series A Study of Perspective is a perfect example of his disobedience against governments, commercialism, and places of aggression. These are themes that go throughout all his work, as he offers a reinterpretation of historical artefacts from his Coca-Cola vase series, which plays on ancient Chinese craftsmanship and modern consumerism, to his Water Lillies #1, which recreates Monet’s Water Lillies in Lego to pixelate and digitise the artwork.
Ai Weiwei’s use of iconic imagery and playful way of creating deep conversations around notions of the relationship between the individual and state power, cultural identity, censorship, and human rights are just some of the reasons his work will appeal to collectors and investors. You can purchase authenticated examples of the works through established galleries and auctions. When you purchase an Ai Weiwei artwork, you are not only purchasing an artwork, but a set of ideas that extend beyond the work.
About Ai Weiwei
Ai Weiwei was born in Beijing in 1957, the son of a prominent poet Ai Qing, who was exiled during the Anti-Rightist Movement in China. This context of Ai Weiwei’s work highlights his political surroundings, which inform his work. Rather than be scared of the regime and fall in line, Ai Weiwei has always taken a stance in his work since studying animation at the Beijing Film Academy, his move in the 1980s to New York and experiencing influences of Western conceptualism, Pop Art, and Dada.
Upon returning to China in the 1990s, Ai Weiwei became a key figure in the Chinese avant-garde, co-founding the experimental artist collective, Stars Group, and documenting urban change in Beijing via photography in part. Over these years, Ai Weiwei over time started to address issues of accountability, surveillance, migration, and the individual under power.
His major exhibits at museums such as Tate Modern, Royal Academy of Arts, Hirshhorn Museum, Mori Art Museum, have helped to create a cultural icon around the figure of Ai Weiwei. Similarly, in terms of how Ai expresses his activism, which has led to his being placed under house arrest, censoring by the Chinese state, and international notoriety - has only amplified the impact of his practice.
Iconic Series and Artworks
Ai Weiwei has many well-known and popular works that stand out across his career. From his photography series Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn (1995), a radical move to depict the dropping of a 2000-year-old artefact, maps Ai Weiwei’s questioning of antiques as physical objects imbued with status. From this point, Ai Weiwei’s work only continues to develop is his questioning of cultural symbols and the history they represent. In works such as Map of China (2004), he uses wood salvaged from a Qing Dynasty temple to highlight the challenges of a united and modernised China through a fragmented appearance, offering a powerful perspective on the past and future of the country.
One of Ai Weiwei’s most recognisable works Sunflower Seeds (2010) holds political symbolism from the people of China being represented as sunflowers turning to face Mao Zedong during the Cultural Revolution. It can symbolise people being lost in a crowd following orders and appearances, but when you consider the hand-painted nature of each seed, it draws attention to question mass production as we start to look at the individuals behind their creation.
Artistic Techniques and Themes
Ai Weiwei’s work crosses all possible materials, from contemporary practices of photography to traditional methods of woodcarving, and also uses non-conventional materials such as Lego in his creations of installations for his Making Sense exhibition at the Design Museum in London. There is no medium that Ai Weiwei avoids, as his work spans art, film, architecture and the digital space to convey his philosophical standpoint.
Ai Weiwei’s artwork is powerful in its meaning, holding ideas of individual power, freedom of expression and liberty from conservatism. This is shown in a multitude of ways whether a room of life jackets pulled from refugee camps or an urn adorned with the Coca-Cola logo which prompts us to examine the human toll of political decisions and narratives that shape culture.
Art Market and Investment
Ai Weiwei enjoys a unique position in the global art market; his work is stable but dynamic. His works have realised strong results at auction and enjoy significant media prominence. Selling highlights have been Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads at over $4 million USD, and limited edition sculptures and photographic works have all recently seen competitive sales across a global marketplace.
Ai Weiwei occupies the cultural position of an activist who is also a market presence, and Ai Weiwei's artworks can be considered investment-grade contemporary art; valuable both for their critical discourse and collectibility. Ai Weiwei's institutional support, framing his work through gallery presentations, such as Lisson Gallery, neugerriemschneider, and Tang Contemporary all have qualities on the order of authenticity and provenance.
Global interest is growing for politically engaged art and cultural commentary, so Ai Weiwei remains an incredibly relevant artist. The works of Ai Weiwei are more than cultural artefacts; more importantly, they are historical artefacts relevant to turbulent times, which both collectors and curators appreciate.
Authenticity and Provenance
It is crucial to feel confident in collecting Ai Weiwei, as authenticity matters. Each piece of art should come with a certificate of authenticity from either the artist's studios, authorised galleries or respected institutions as a means of proving authenticity.
It is also important to look for reputable sources such as select galleries, museums, or respected auction houses to check provenance. This will also safeguard your artwork, and the FairArt guarantee means we will check the authentication before a buyer receives an artwork from us. In the end, this will not only offer reassurance in the authenticity of the artwork, but it will also ensure you are recognising Ai Weiwei's poignant and political legacy as a human rights activist.