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.
$41,695
The Papercut Portfolio -Contemporary, 21st Century, Paper, Ai Weiwei, Red, China
By Ai Weiwei
Located in Zug, CH
In this portfolio, Ai Weiwei reflects on his life and work through the Chinese art of papercutting, creating a beautiful personal retrospective in a unique format. The Papercut Port...
Paper
$160
H 6 in W 6 in
"Emblem" paper collage, hand-embroidery, neon, geometric pattern, thread
By Kelly Kozma
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This piece titled "Emblem" is an original artwork made from collage, hand embroidery, and latex paint on canvas by Kelly Kozma. This piece is shipped in the pictured white frame and measures 6"h x 6"w framed. The catalyst for this new body of work was a jar of leftover magazine cutouts from a collage I made in 2010. Reusing leftover materials as well repurposing items that might end up thrown away, has become a very important part of my process the past decade. Stumbling across this jar of coin sized images that had waited patiently on a shelf for 12 years, ignited my creative process and drove me to explore collage in a new way. Unlike the piece from 2010 in which I assembled the images by piecing them together, I decided to examine each individual cut out on its on. By removing the image from any other context it allows you to focus solely on its meaning, purpose or feelings that it may evoke. Each image is embedded in a field of French knots which felt like a way of creating a time capsule of sorts for the object. Another inspiration behind this collection is my six year old son and his endless piles of sticks, stones, leaves, etc in our home. Only to him they aren’t sticks and stones, they are treasures. His ability to find a tiny twig or scrap of paper and not only cherish it but give it a backstory of why it is so special, is a beautiful thing and one I have tried to tap into with my new work. By placing a picture of a rubberband ball or a set of Dracula teeth or a banana in this embroidered box...
Thread, Paper
This Bouquet: Mixed Media Artwork, Collage & Embroidery
By Kelly Kozma
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This piece titled "This Bouquet" is an original artwork made from collage, hand embroidery, and latex paint on canvas by Kelly Kozma. This piece is shipped in the pictured white fram...
Thread, Paper
"Popular Item" Paper collage, hand-embroidery, sushi, rice motif
By Kelly Kozma
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This piece titled "Popular Item" is an original artwork made from collage, hand embroidery, and latex paint on canvas by Kelly Kozma. This piece is shipped in the pictured white frame and measures 6"h x 6"w framed. The catalyst for this new body of work was a jar of leftover magazine cutouts from a collage I made in 2010. Reusing leftover materials as well repurposing items that might end up thrown away, has become a very important part of my process the past decade. Stumbling across this jar of coin sized images that had waited patiently on a shelf for 12 years, ignited my creative process and drove me to explore collage in a new way. Unlike the piece from 2010 in which I assembled the images by piecing them together, I decided to examine each individual cut out on its on. By removing the image from any other context it allows you to focus solely on its meaning, purpose or feelings that it may evoke. Each image is embedded in a field of French knots which felt like a way of creating a time capsule of sorts for the object. Another inspiration behind this collection is my six year old son and his endless piles of sticks, stones, leaves, etc in our home. Only to him they aren’t sticks and stones, they are treasures. His ability to find a tiny twig or scrap of paper and not only cherish it but give it a backstory of why it is so special, is a beautiful thing and one I have tried to tap into with my new work. By placing a picture of a rubberband ball...
Thread, Paper
$400
H 15.25 in W 12.25 in D 1.5 in
Colorful Abstract Contemporary Creation of Adam “Celestial Touch” Collage
By Julia Rossel
Located in Houston, TX
Abstract collage titled "Celestial Touch" by contemporary artist Julia Rossel. The piece incorporates imagery of two hands that resemble the hands from Michelangelo's "The Creation o...
Mixed Media, Paper
$700
H 12 in W 8.5 in D 1 in
Monograph: Portraits in the Presence of Marina Abramovic (Hand signed)
By Marina Abramovic
Located in New York, NY
Marina Abramović Portraits in the Presence of Marina Abramovic (Hand signed by BOTH Marina Abramovic and photographer Marco Anelli), 2021 Hardback monograph with no dust jacket as is...
Paper, Ink, Mixed Media, Lithograph, Offset
$300
H 5.75 in W 7.75 in
"Honoring Mothers" Cross Stitch Hand Embroidery on Vintage Stamp
By Han Cao
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This piece titled "Honoring Mothers" is an original piece by Han Cao and is made from hand embroidery on found antique postcard from the 1970s, with cotton and silk thread. This piec...
Thread, Found Objects, Archival Paper
"Black Gold" Hand Embroidery on Vintage Oil Rig Postcard
By Han Cao
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This piece titled "Black Gold" is an original piece by Han Cao and is made from hand embroidery on found vintage postcard from the 1940s, with cotton thread. This piece measures 16....
Thread, Found Objects, Photographic Paper
$1,800
H 7.49 in W 16.54 in D 0.12 in
Set of 3 unique embroidery artworks on printed paper from the Books series
By Ana Seggiaro
Located in Miami Beach, FL
The ambitious exercise of working with techniques such as large-format embroidery only exacerbates the perfection of detail through the change of scale. What was once the page of a b...
Thread, Paper
$160
H 6 in W 6 in
"High Score" Paper collage, hand-embroidery, french knot, smiley face, 8-bit
By Kelly Kozma
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This piece titled "High Score" is an original artwork made from collage, hand embroidery, and latex paint on canvas by Kelly Kozma. This piece is shipped in the pictured white frame ...
Thread, Paper
Like Sand Through the Hourglass: Contemporary Mixed Media Collage
By Kelly Kozma
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This piece titled "Like Sand Through the Hour Glass" is an original artwork made from collage, hand embroidery, and latex paint on canvas by Kelly Kozma. This piece is shipped in the...
Thread, Paper
$2,500
H 15.25 in W 12.25 in
"Surge", French Knots and Hand Embroidery on Paper and Vintage Photo Silhouette
By Han Cao
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This piece titled "Surge" is an original piece by Han Cao and is made from embroidery, inkjet print, and a vintage photograph. This piece measures 15.25"h x 12.25"w framed and is shi...
Thread, Found Objects, Inkjet, Photographic Paper
$180
H 6 in W 6 in
The Villian Mixed Media Artwork: Collage & Embroidery, 6x6\" Unframed
By Kelly Kozma
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This piece titled "The Villian" is an original artwork made from collage, hand embroidery, and latex paint on canvas by Kelly Kozma. This piece is shipped in the pictured white frame...
Thread, Paper
Rainbow Vision: Mixed Media Collage and Embroidery Artwork
By Kelly Kozma
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This piece titled "Rainbow Vision" is an original artwork made from collage, hand embroidery, and latex paint on canvas by Kelly Kozma. This piece is shipped in the pictured white fr...
Thread, Paper
$180
H 6 in W 6 in
My Jam Mixed Media Artwork, Collage and Embroidery, 21st Century, 6x6"
By Kelly Kozma
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This piece titled "My Jam" is an original artwork made from collage, hand embroidery, and latex paint on canvas by Kelly Kozma. This piece is shipped in the pictured white frame and ...
Thread, Paper
$180
H 6 in W 6 in
Lodge Life Mixed Media Artwork, Collage and Embroidery, 21st Century
By Kelly Kozma
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This piece titled "Lodge Life" is an original artwork made from collage, hand embroidery, and latex paint on canvas by Kelly Kozma. This piece is shipped in the pictured white frame ...
Thread, Paper
Sold
H 31 in W 8 in D 0.3 in
F?!k (There are No Outdoor Sports as Graceful as Throwing Stones at a Dictators)
By Ai Weiwei
Located in New York, NY
Ai Weiwei F*?!k (There are No Outdoor Sports as Graceful as Throwing Stones at a Dictatorship in the World), 2010 Limited Edition Silkscreen on 7 Ply Grade A Canadian Maplewood 31 × ...
Wood, Screen
Sold
H 74.81 in W 39.38 in
Wo ist die Revolution -Contemporary, 21st Century, Ai Weiwei, China
By Ai Weiwei
Located in Zug, CH
Wo ist die Revolution -Contemporary, 21st Century, Ai Weiwei, China Wo ist die Revolution, 2019 Inkjet Print Edition of 180 190 x 100 cm (74.8 x 39.3 in.) Signed and numbered In mint condition, as acquired from the publisher in the original packaging PLEASE NOTE: Edition numbers could vary from the one shown in the images. The pictures are only for illustrative reasons, the work is offered unframed. “If you look at art history you see that only important art moments...
Inkjet
Artist’s Hand - sculpture by Ai Weiwei
By Ai Weiwei
Located in London, GB
Ai Weiwei (b. 1957) The Artist’s Hand, 2017 Artist’s signature inscribed on the base Cast urethane resin multiple with electroplated rhodium, contained in the original cardboard pres...
Resin, Mixed Media