The Summer of Ai WeiWei
I was pleased to read in the Globe
yesterday that Chinese artist Ai WeiWei's sculpture set "Circle of
Animals" had been installed temporarily at Toronto City Hall.
If you're curious about this Ai WeiWei — one of China's most popular artists — you may wish to have a look at Never Sorry, a wonderful documentary DVD, produced last year. It has extensive coverage of his art and of his ongoing struggles with the Chinese authorities.
WeiWei is one of those rare artists who can speak plainly and compellingly about his work.
All of these books can be borrowed from the library.
Ai WeiWei's Blog: Writings, Interviews and Digital Rants, 2006-2009
Ai WeiWei: Fairytale: A Reader
On August 17th, a major retrospective of his work will open at the Art Gallery of Ontario.
5 thoughts on “The Summer of Ai WeiWei”
And he did back-up vocals for Laurie Anderson, live by Skype, last Saturday night. Toronto is having an Ai WeiWei festival this summer!
Such a great book list – looking forward to the retrospective at the AGO.
Thanks, Shelley. Should be one of the highlights of the summer.
Thanks for writing, William. Laurie Anderson’s live stream brought Luminato to the whole world — live from Toronto. Nice to know Anderson still has it.
One of the most over-hyped artists out there….
However, we’ll let time settle that conjecture.
My friends are divided on Ai WeiWei’s merits, Ted, some for, some against. Nice that we can see for ourselves in Toronto.