Seattle Art Museum (SAM) is hosting Ai Weiwei’s first U.S. retrospective in over ten years, titled Ai, Rebel: The Art and Activism of Ai Weiwei, running through September 7. The exhibition features 130 works spanning four decades, showcasing Ai’s unique blend of provocation, humor, and political defiance.
A Lifetime of Resistance and Rebellion
Ai describes himself as a “shattered mirror” reflecting reality with all its cracks. His work has long challenged authoritarianism, state surveillance, and power structures, shaped by his own experiences growing up in exile due to his father, the celebrated poet Ai Qing.
Curator Foong Ping explains the show’s significance:Exhibit HighlightsThe exhibition is divided into three chapters, beginning with:1. “Introducing the Rebel” – Featuring early works that directly challenge authority, including:F.U.C.K. (2000), a neon piece referencing both Ai’s FAKE Design Studio and the English expletive.Study of Perspective (1995–2011), a series of middle-finger photographs aimed at landmarks like the White House and Tiananmen Square.Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn (1995), an iconic triptych where Ai smashes a 2,000-year-old artifact to question cultural preservation and destruction.Photos from Ai’s 1980s New York years, when he was among the first Chinese students to study abroad after the Cultural Revolution.The exhibition also includes a poem by Ai Qing, reinforcing the role of art as political expression.Art as a Weapon Against Modern AuthoritarianismAi believes that authoritarianism has evolved, now driven by corporate capitalism and wealth concentration:Despite the challenges, Ai remains optimistic:This retrospective is more than just an art exhibit—it’s a call to action, urging visitors to question power, resist oppression, and defend free expression.
