Washington, D.C. – “Ai Weiwei: According to What?” at the Hirshhorn Museum, October 7th, 2012 – February 24th, 2013
Tuesday, October 9th, 2012
Image: Ai Weiwei: According to What? Installation View: Coca Cola Vase, New York Photographs, Moon Chest, Courtesy The Hirshhorn
The first U.S. survey of the work of Ai Weiwei (Chinese, b. Beijing, 1957) opened on October 7th at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C. It takes its inspiration from a 2009 exhibition at Tokyo’s Mori Art Museum, but has been adapted for U.S. audiences incorporating the artist’s re-examination of the work in the context of his personal experiences over the past few years.
Image: Ai Weiwei Courtesy The Washington Post
Mr. Ai, 55, has personally experienced many changes since 2009: he was detained for 81 days last year and was found guilty of tax evasion in China, owing $2.4 million in fines. The Chinese government shut down his business and has not allowed him to leave the country, which prevented him from attending the opening for his retrospective in Washington.