Ai Weiwei 艾未未
China's most prominent contemporary artist, Ai Weiwei, is currently having a retrospective exhibition at London's most prestigious space, The Royal Academy.
Ai became widely known in Britain after his sunflower seeds installation in Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall in 2010, but this will be the first time that Ai Weiwei has had a large solo exhibition in Britain.
The body of work presented in this show covers the period from 1993 to the present day. All these artifacts have a Chinese identity and explore the relationship between the past and the present using such materials as marble, jade, and porcelain. The art shown is complex and can be interpreted on many levels.
One of the most impressive and remarkable installations is Straight , 2008 -12, which has to do with the Sichuan earthquake of 2008. It is made up of 90 tons of of bent and twisted rebar ( steel rods used in the construction of reinforced concrete buildings) collected from the earthquake zone by the artist and laboriously straightened by hand. "It is a sober monument to the victims of the earthquake," said the co-curator, Adrian Locke.
Ai Weiwei has created site specific sculptural installations for the Royal Academy including his impressive monumental Tree situated in the courtyard, made up of eight individual trees nearly seven metres high which were Made from reassembled pieces of dead wood from the hills of southern Chin.
Another masterpiece is a giant chandelier made up of Forever bicycles which is presented in the Wohl Central Hall.
Ai Weiwei said "I am honoured to have the chance to exhibit at the Royal Academy of Arts. Tim Marlow and the rest of the exhibition team have a history of producing outstanding exhibitions. I'm very happy to be part of it. This exhibition is my first major survey in London, a city I greatly admire. The selected artwork reflects my practice in recent years, and also includes new works made specifically for the show"
This is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime exhibition, not to be missed. Ends 13 December 2015.
中国最著名的当代艺术家，艾未未，近期正在伦敦最负盛名的空间，皇家艺术学会，举办一场个人回顾展。
自从2010年艾未未作品《葵花籽》在泰特现代美术馆展出之后，他在不列颠便已声名远播。然而此次展览将会是艾未未第一次在英国举行如此大规模的个人展。
此次所展出的作品时间横跨1993年到现在的艾未未在中国的整段艺术生涯。所有的作品都带有鲜明的中国特色，大理石，玉石，陶瓷等材料的运用，展现着历史过往与现实年代的关系。其中微妙复杂的含义，可以从不同层面得到解读。
展览上最引人瞩目的当属以2008年汶川地震为主题的《Straight , 2008 -12》：90吨重弯折扭曲的钢筋被这位艺术家从地震灾区各处收集而来，并不辞花费巨大物力将其一根根捋直码放。“这是对地震牺牲者的清醒纪念碑。”策展人艾德里克·洛克评价道。
艾未未也特别为皇家艺术学会创作了一个纪念碑式的雕塑作品《树》，作品由八颗独立的七米高的大树枝干组合而成，而组成大树的枝干则是从中国南方的山上收集而来的死掉的树木。
另外一件作品是用永久自行车所构成的巨大吊灯，这件作品曾在沃尔中央美术大厅进行过展出。
艾未未谈到这次采访时说-“我非常有幸能有机会在皇家艺术学会进行展览。蒂姆·马洛以及他们的展览团队有着优秀的策展历史。我很高兴能成为他们团队的一部分。这个展览是我在伦敦的第一个大型展览。所选的作品反映了我近些年的活动，也包括特别为这次展览所创作的一些作品。”
这绝对是一场可遇而不可求的展览。展览将结束于2015年十二月十三日。