{"product_id":"ai-weiwei","title":"Ai Weiwei","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAi Weiwei (b. 1957) is truly an artist for the twenty-first century. In his sculptures he refashions artefacts and antiques into surprising, sometimes monumental constructions such as \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eTemplate\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e (2007): hundreds of wooden doors and windows taken from demolished Ming and Qing dynasty temples and arranged into a massive outdoor sculpture. As much as these materials look to the past, they also speak of the present, because never before (and probably never again) have they been available in such abundance. Like his benches carved from centuries-old temple beams, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eTemplate\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is a sly commentary on the speed with which China's building boom is obliterating its past. (When \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eTemplate\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e collapsed in a rainstorm two weeks after its unveiling at Documenta 12, the artist embraced its demise as a clever artistic twist.)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the interview Hans Ulrich Obrist discusses Ai Weiwei’s life and motivations, his childhood in a rural province close to the Russian border, his underground political work, his move to New York in the 80s and consequent return to China in the 90s, and his break within the art world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKaren Smith’s survey examines the evolution of Ai Weiwei’s work from the early paintings, drawings, and sculptures pieces through his most recent installations and architectural work, including the cotton-made sculpture\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eWorld Map\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(Biennale of Sydney, 2006), the wooden doors and windows structure\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eTemplate\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(Documenta 12, 2007) and his collaboration with the Swiss firm Herzog \u0026amp; de Meuron for the Beijing National Stadium for the 2008 Summer Olympics.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e29 x 25 x 1.8cm\u003cbr\u003esoftcover\u003cbr\u003e160 pages\u003cbr\u003eISBN \u003cspan\u003e9780714848891\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Alliance","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48308017955066,"sku":"14862","price":65.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1296\/6027\/files\/14862-web-ai-weiwei-making-sense-book-cover.jpg?v=1770690436","url":"https:\/\/shop.aucklandartgallery.com\/products\/ai-weiwei","provider":"Auckland Art Gallery Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}