Seeds for Change: An Exploration of Themes and Subthemes Within the Work of Ai Weiwei

Noreen O’Donnell
Trinity College Dublin
Department of History of Art and Architecture
2013
BA

Subject: Sculpture and Mixed Media
Country: China
Period: 21st Century

10,000 words

Ai Weiwei is currently one of the world’s most prominent contemporary artists. His work spans a gamut of themes that are expressed through a use of a wide array of media. Weiwei was born in Beijing, China, where he is currently based, which serves as a cultural backdrop and provides a constant source of inspiration that motivates him to create many of his works. He is a highly politicised artist, as well as being an active human rights campaigner, who regards communication as a vital path to change. The two themes that appear to dominate a lot of Weiwei’s work are politics and freedom of expression. He articulates theses views via his extensive oeuvre and social media. Contemporary art is indebted to many artists and movements that preceded it and the influence of which is particularly evident in Weiwei’s works.

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Seeds for Change: An Exploration of Themes and Subthemes Within the Work of Ai Weiwei