Ai Weiwei by John Tancock - ISBN: 9780262039154
Hardcover
An autobiography in pictures: photographs taken by Ai Weiwei that capture his emergence as the uniquely provocative artist that he is today.

Ai Weiwei

Beijing Photographs, 1993-2003

  • Hardcover

    430 pages

  • Release Date

    19 February 2019

Summary

An autobiography in pictures- photographs taken by Ai Weiwei that capture his emergence as the uniquely provocative artist that he is today.Ai Weiwei- Beijing Photographs 1993-2003 is an autobiography in pictures. Ai Weiwei is China’s most celebrated contemporary artist, and its most outspoken domestic critic. In April 2011, when Ai disappeared into police custody for three months, he quickly became the art world’s most famous missing person. Since then, Ai Weiwei’s critiques of China’s repre…

Book Details

ISBN-13:9780262039154
ISBN-10:026203915X
Author:John Tancock, Stephanie H. Tung, Weiwei Ai
Publisher:MIT Press Ltd
Imprint:MIT Press
Format:Hardcover
Number of Pages:430
Release Date:19 February 2019
Weight:2.97kg
Dimensions:279mm x 279mm
Series:Ai Weiwei
What They're Saying

Critics Review

In this follow up to Ai Weiwei: New York Photographs 1983–1993, Chinese artist, architect, and activist Ai crafts a fascinating, deeply personal photographic diary of life in Beijing from 1993 to 2003… Of particular interest to fans of Ai’s work, this excellent collection is also a passionate cry for freedom of speech.

—Publishers Weekly

Ai Weiwei: Beijing Photographs 1993-2003 is a book for fans and scholars alike. It is a diary, and so it has that insight which only reveals itself when you know the public story. If you know the arc of that story, the diary adds tenor, counterpoint and unexpected harmony, as well as dissonance. It’s a bit like reading the journals of important authors or looking at the sketchbooks of important painters—a bit like listening to recording studio outtakes. You don’t start there. But you get there as fast as you can.

—Lens Culture

In more than 600 sequenced photographs, the iconic Chinese artist and dissident provides an intimate glimpse – which China has refused to publish – of the country that went on to imprison him for his criticism.

—The New York Times Book Review

About The Author

John Tancock

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.John Tancock is an art historians and coauthor of Ai Weiwei- New York 1983-1993. WIth his coeditor Stephanie H. Tung and Ai Weiwei, he sorted through more than 40,000 negatives to select the images included in this book.Stephanie H. Tung is an art historians and coauthor of Ai Weiwei- New York 1983-1993. WIth her coeditor John Tancock and Ai Weiwei, she sorted through more than 40,000 negatives to select the images included in this book.

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