Overview

Manifestos and immodest proposals from China's most famous artist and activist, culled from his popular blog, shut down by Chinese authorities in 2009. In 2006, even though he could barely type, China's most famous artist started blogging. For more than three years, Ai Weiwei turned out a steady stream of scathing social commentary, criticism of government policy, thoughts on art and architecture, and autobiographical writings. He wrote about the Sichuan earthquake (and posted a list of the schoolchildren who died because of the government's ""tofu-dregs engineering""), reminisced about Andy Warhol and the East Village art scene, described the irony of being investigated for ""fraud"" by the Ministry of Public Security, made a modest proposal for tax collection. Then, on June 1, 2009, Chinese authorities shut down the blog. This book offers a collection of Ai's notorious online writings translated into English—the most complete, public documentation of the original Chinese blog available in any language. The New York Times called Ai ""a figure of Warholian celebrity."" He is a leading figure on the international art scene, a regular in museums and biennials, but in China he is a manifold and controversial presence: artist, architect, curator, social critic, justice-seeker. He was a consultant on the design of the famous ""Bird's Nest"" stadium but called for an Olympic boycott; he received a Chinese Contemporary Art ""lifetime achievement award"" in 2008 but was beaten by the police in connection with his ""citizen investigation"" of earthquake casualties in 2009. Ai Weiwei's Blog documents Ai's passion, his genius, his hubris, his righteous anger, and his vision for China.

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In terms of illuminating the dynamics of protest in our understanding of one of global culture's most percipient commentators, this text is highly recommended.-Alex Ross, THE

Ai Weiwei is a widely acclaimed artist, an innovative designer, an influential architect, a visionary urbanist, a competitive cook, and even a great hairdresser. He is also a compelling and disputatious writer who knows how to address and to rally a wide audience, voicing his own dissatisfaction, and that of his fellow countrymen, at being confronted on a daily basis with the alarming glibness of a rampant Chinese society and its disquieting political representation.

This work is invaluable as a critical perspective and chronicle while also being an extraordinary contributor to...the contemporary Chinese political landscape. -- David Roberts, Building Design In terms of illuminating the dynamics of protest in our understanding of one of global culture's most percipient commentators, this text is highly recommended -- Alex Ross, THE

In terms of illuminating the dynamics of protest in our understanding of one of global culture's most percipient commentators, this text is highly recommended. -- <b>Alex Ross</b> * <i>THE</i> * This work is invaluable as a critical perspective and chronicle while also being an extraordinary contributor to...the contemporary Chinese political landscape. -- <b>David Roberts</b> * <i>Building Design</i> *

In terms of illuminating the dynamics of protest in our understanding of one of global culture's most percipient commentators, this text is highly recommended. -Alex Ross, THE This work is invaluable as a critical perspective and chronicle while also being an extraordinary contributor to...the contemporary Chinese political landscape. -David Roberts, Building Design * Reviews * In terms of illuminating the dynamics of protest in our understanding of one of global culture's most percipient commentators, this text is highly recommended. -Alex Ross, THE * Reviews *

Author Information

Ai Weiwei is one of today's most important and controversial artists. His recent exhibitions include ""Sunflower Seeds"" at the Tate Modern, London, a vast assemblage of handcrafted porcelain sunflower seeds; and six fiberglass dioramas depicting his 81-day imprisonment in 2011, shown at a Venice gallery in parallel with the 2013 Venice Biennale. He was a designer of the famous ""Bird's Nest"" stadium of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Lee Ambrozy is the Editor of artforum.com.cn, Artforum's Chinese language website. Lee Ambrozy is the Editor of artforum.com.cn, Artforum's Chinese language website.

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