Ai Weiwei was born in northwest China but was sent to a labor camp in Beidahuang, Heilongjiang, when he was only a year old. There he was raised for the early years of his life. His father Aì Qīng’s involvement in the Anti-Rightist Movement led to the family's exile shortly afterward to Shihezi, Xinjiang, where Ai spent the duration of his childhood. Upon Mao Zedong’s death, the family returned to Beijing in 1976.
Following the family’s return home, Ai enrolled in the Beijing Film Academy to study animation in 1978. He was one of the founders of the avant-garde art group the Stars alongside contemporaries Ma Desheng, Wang Keping, Mao Lizi, Huang Rui, Li Shuang, Ah Cheng and Qu Leilei. The Stars disbanded in the 1980s, but Ai participated in regular shows that recalled the ten years that the group had been together, including at the Hanart Gallery in 1989 and the retrospective 2007 exhibition at Beijing's Origin Point.
Ai moved to the USA in 1981, among the earliest of students to study abroad following China’s reform in 1980, which afforded him the opportunity to take the TOEFL in 1981. He lived in Philadelphia and then in San Francisco, studying English at the University of California, Berkeley. Afteward, Ai studied at Parsons School of Design in New York City and attended the Art Students League of New York from 1983 to 1986. He initially made a living by drawing street portraits.
Immersing himself in the Pop art scene, which was rapidly gaining popularity, Ai began creating conceptual art and photography. Ai returned to China after his father became ill in 1993, and while there he helped to establish the experimental art scene called Beijing East Village. In 1999, Ai built a studio house in Beijing — his first architectural project. Ai founded the architecture studio FAKE Design in 2003, and co-curated the art exhibition "Fuck Off" with Feng Boyi in Shanghai.
In 2011, Ai was arrested and jailed. Released after 81 days, the government confiscated his passport. His release was in part due to the uproar of the art world against his charges of tax evasion; the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and the International Council of Museums both organized petitions, collecting almost 100,000 signatures calling for his release. When he reclaimed his passport in 2015, Ai moved to Berlin and lived in a studio. It became a base for him to create his international work.
Ai is the artistic director of China Art Archives & Warehouse. The experimental gallery and archive, co-founded by Ai in 1997, concentrates on experimental art from the People’s Republic of China, initiating and facilitating exhibitions both in China and internationally.
Ai's work is in the collections of museums worldwide, including the Tate, London; Arken, London; Brooklyn Museum, New York; and the RA, London. His international architectural collaborations, including the Beijing National Stadium and the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, have consistently been met with critical acclaim.
Find a variety of authentic Ai Weiwei prints, paintings and other art today on 1stDibs.
Ai Weiwei, the Silk Scarf ‘Citizens’ Investigation’
By Ai Weiwei
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Papercutting is a traditional Chinese art going back 2,000 years. The colored, intricately cut papers are used as a story-telling medium in festivities, for prayers, and as everyday ...
Silk
Ai Weiwei, The Silk Scarf ‘Haircut’
By Ai Weiwei
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Papercutting is a traditional Chinese art going back 2,000 years. The colored, intricately cut papers are used as a story-telling medium in fes...
Silk
Chinese Silk Embroidered Panels
Located in Tampa, FL
This elegant pair of Chinese panels features richly embroidered and embossed silk, showcasing refined craftsmanship and intricate surface detail. The textiles are beautifully present...
Silk
Embroidery Silk Azarbaijan
Located in Ferrara, IT
This is an antique silk Azerbaijan embroidery woven during the 18th century and measures 76 x 74CM in size. It has an all-over highly geometric floral design with muted pastel colors...
Textile, Silk
Hermès by Annie Faivre "Astres Et Soleils" Silk Carre Scarf
By Hermès
Located in Nuernberg, DE
HERMES silk carré scarf "Astres et Soleils". This scarfs brings across the life of the Maya and Aztec with an opulent terracotta shade and green whimsical design on a ocher and wh...
Silk
Vintage Japanese Formal Black Silk Kimono
Located in Atlanta, GA
A vintage Japanese silk Kuro Tomesode Kimono, circa 1960s-1980s. Kuro Tomesode is a dress for married woman for the most formal occasions, equivalent of the evening gowns in the west. It is overall black, decorated only with patterns of bright colors on the bottom. This kimono has three Mon family crests on the front and back shoulder. It is lined with white silk in its interior. On the front, it features exposed white stitches around neck and breast, a very subtle and elegant touch. The bottom part of the kimono is decorated with lavish woven design with embroidery accents that depicts a group of pheasants among peonies and other blossoms along a flowing stream. Great contrast in the colors and attention to details. An very elegant textile for wall...
Silk
Indian Textile Silk Sandy Beige
Located in Ferrara, IT
This is a rare antique silk Indian textile woven during the end of the 19th century that measures 164 x 56 CM in size. The design of this rug is based on an early 18th century repeat...
Silk
$63Sale Price|64% Off
H 17.72 in W 16.15 in D 0.04 in
17"x18" Silk Embroidery Cushion Cover, Blue Throw Pillow, Floral Accent Pillow
Located in Spring Valley, NY
Decorative cushion cover made of hand embroidery silk on linen background, flowers and vine motifs, linen backing with zipper, no insert. Delicate and specialised washing advised. ...
Cotton, Silk, Linen
Antique Chinese Textile Silk Foo dogs
Located in Ferrara, IT
This is an extremely unique and beautiful antique Chinese silk and metal threaded embroidery woven during the end of the 19th century and measures 320 x 188 CM in size. This piece’s design has been woven onto a deep red silk background which was probably used for the imperial family and depicts a dragon check with a signature enclosed in a box centrally located at the top. The innermost border of this piece depicts the eight immortals which are extremely important and influential parts of Chinese mythology. Three “fu dogs” are located at the bottom of this piece and are known as protectors and were placed within buildings temples and tombs to ward off negative energy. Overall, this is an extremely unique and important piece of Chinese textile...
Metal
Pair of Chinese Silk Lotus Slippers, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
These dainty, pointed slippers, made of blue silk and embroidered with pink flowers, were shaped to resemble a lotus bud and enhanced the diminutive shape of bound feet. A practice that began in the Tang dynasty and reached the height of its popularity in the Qing dynasty, foot binding was a painful process intended to make a woman's feet as small as possible by restricting bone growth from an early age. The smaller the feet the more attractive and erotic they were, giving elite women a mark of elegance and a distinctive - albeit tortured - gait of small, light steps. These embroidered silk lotus slippers...
Cotton, Silk
$2,521Sale Price|50% Off
H 51.97 in W 62.21 in D 0.04 in
Rare Antique Silk Ikat from Uzbekistan, Dubbled with Other Silk Ikat
Located in Alessandria, Piemonte
Rare antique Fergana Uzbekistn silk ikat, DUBBLED with other silk light blue ikat - There is a rich bibliography on these Turkmenistan textiles - Hanging on the wall like a tapestry,...
Silk
$165
H 49 in W 15.25 in D 0.13 in
Vintage Sumba Slendang Shoulder Cloth/Scarf/Wall Hanging with Animal Design
Located in Point Richmond, CA
Vintage Sumba Slendang Shoulder Cloth/Scarf with Animal Design. Indigo and morinda root dyed cotton warp handwoven in a mirror image design depicting an ark of animal pairs including...
Cotton
Aubusson Tapestry Silk&Metal
Located in Ferrara, IT
This is an antique Aubusson tapestery made in Europe during the end of the 19th century and measures 302x196 CM in size. This piece has a floral design with two bouquets inside of b...
Metal
$89Sale Price|50% Off
H 17.33 in W 15.75 in D 0.04 in
Silk Embroidery Silk Cushion Cover, Cream, Light Blue Suzani Pillowcase
Located in Spring Valley, NY
Decorative cushion cover made of hand embroidery silk on linen background, flowers and vine motifs, linen backing with zipper, no insert. Delicate and specialised washing advised. ...
Cotton, Linen, Silk
Ai Weiwei, the Silk Scarf ‘Citizens’ Investigation’
By Ai Weiwei
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Papercutting is a traditional Chinese art going back 2,000 years. The colored, intricately cut papers are used as a story-telling medium in festivities, for prayers, and as everyday ...
Silk
Ai Weiwei, the Silk Scarf ‘Cats and Dogs’
By Ai Weiwei
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Papercutting is a traditional Chinese art going back 2,000 years. The colored, intricately cut papers are used as a story-telling medium in fes...
Silk
Ai Weiwei, The Silk Scarf ‘Citizens’ Investigation’
By Ai Weiwei
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Papercutting is a traditional Chinese art going back 2,000 years. The colored, intricately cut papers are used as a story-telling medium in festivities, for prayers, and as everyday ...
Silk
Ai Weiwei, the Silk Scarf ‘Cats and Dogs’
By Ai Weiwei
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Papercutting is a traditional Chinese art going back 2,000 years. The colored, intricately cut papers are used as a story-telling medium in festivities, for prayers, and as everyday ...
Silk
Ai Weiwei, the China Bag ‘Zodiac’
By Ai Weiwei
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Papercutting is a traditional Chinese art going back 2,000 years. The colored, intricately cut papers are used as a story-telling medium in festivities, for prayers, and as everyday decoration. The white bag takes its motif from a papercut created by Ai Weiwei as part of his Papercut Portfolio, published by Taschen in 2019: Zodiac, his depiction of the Chinese...
PVC
Ai Weiwei, The China Bag ‘Cats and Dogs’
By Ai Weiwei
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Papercutting is a traditional Chinese art going back 2,000 years. The colored, intricately cut papers are used as a story-telling medium in festivities, for prayers, and as everyday ...
PVC