Biography
1957 | Born in Beijing, China | |
1978 | Enrolled at the Beijing Film Academy | |
1981-93 | Lived in the USA, and briefly studied at the Parsons School of Design and Art Students League of New York | |
1997 | Co-founded the China Art Archives and Warehouse (CAAW) | |
1999 | Took part in the 48th Venice Biennale Built the studio in Caochangdi, Beijing |
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2003 | Broke the ground for Beijing’s National Stadium, jointly designed with Herzog & de Meuron for the 2008 Summer Olympics | |
2002/05 | 1st/2nd Guangzhou Triennial | |
2006 | 15th Biennale of Sydney | |
2007 | Fairytale, documenta12, Kassel | |
2008 | Launched Citizens’ Investigation after the Sichuan Earthquake in 2008 and compiled a list of 5,197 student victims Chinese Contemporary Art Awards (CCAA) Mock up, Beijing, with Herzog & de Meuron, at the 11th Venice Architecture Biennale |
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2009 | Ai Weiwei: According to What?, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo Ai Weiwei. So Sorry, Haus der Kunst, Munich |
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2010 | The Prism of Reason, Kassel Citizen Award Ai Weiwei: Sunflower Seeds, Unilever Series, Turbine Hall, Tate Modern, London |
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2011 | Secretly detained for 81 days in Beijing without formal charges Accepted visiting professorship at the Berlin University of the Arts Co-Artistic Directors of the 4th Gwangju Design Biennale, Korea Membership at the Academy of Arts, Berlin Honorary Academician at the Royal Academy of Arts, London |
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2012 | Foreign Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts Václav Havel Prize for Creative Dissent |
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2013 | Bang, at the 55th Venice Biennale | |
2014 | @Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz, Alcatraz Island, San Francisco | |
2015 | Relocated to Europe after the authorities in Beijing returned his passport Ambassador of Conscience Award, Amnesty International Evidence, Martin-Gropius Bau, Berlin Ai Weiwei, Royal Academy of Arts, London |
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2017 | Documentary: Human Flow (premiered at the Venice International Film Festival and shortlisted for Best Documentary at the Oscars) Ai Weiwei: Good Fences Make Good Neighbors, Public Art Fund, New York Trace, Hirschhorn Museum, Washington, D.C. |
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2020 | Documentaries: Coronation and Cockroach History of Bombs, Imperial War Museum, London |
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2021 | Published 1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows in English (translated into dozens of languages) Documentary: Rohingya |
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2022 | Ai Weiwei. In Search of Humanity, Albertina Modern, Vienna Ai Weiwei: The Liberty of Doubt, Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge The new production of Turandot premiered at the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma (direction, sets, costumes, videos by Ai Weiwei) |