bricworks3 the watercube post-olympics ai weiwei - ARCHILEPSY ...

The death of Mao Zedong in 1976 lead to economic reform and
other cultural changes that allowed Ai Quing and his family to return
to Beijing. Upon their return, Ai Weiwei decided to leave to New York
City with no intention to return to China. It was in New York, that Ai
would take a particular interest in art as well as the political freedoms
so commonplace in the United States.
Some of Ai Weiwei’s earliest influences in art were the likes of Andy
Warhol and Marcel Duchamp, artists whose work had close relationships
to everyday objects. With a meticulous attention to detail, Ai’s interest
in these very same objects can be seen in his work today.
rad artist spotlight
> The Tate Modern Calls for
Ai Weiwei's Release
Ai would eventually return to China to see his father whom had
become ill. It was at a time shortly after the tragic events in Tiananman
Square, an event that inspired Ai with a new-found responsibility to
the political freedom of those in China.
Upon his return, Ai would release a series of underground books,
black book, white book, and grey book. The books displayed the work
of many experimental Chinese artists at a time when the art scene as a
whole was virtually nonexistant. Because the government controls the
press, the books were illegal and were designed with blank covers as not
to draw attention.
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