Author(s): Ai Weiwei

Art and Design

A leading figure among the Chinese artists of his generation, Ai Weiwei creates art that focuses on fundamental questions about the ways in which art and culture interrelate with society or how society interrelates with individual existence. As a result of his internationally acclaimed work and his direct engagement with Chinese policies and politics, Ai Weiwei has been thrust into the global spotlight. Featuring Ai's most significant works since 2000, this catalogue - a revised and updated version of the Japanese publication produced to accompany the Mori Art Museum's 2008 exhibition - offers insight into the artist's use of simple forms and artistic methods reminiscent of conceptual and minimal art, his preoccupation with the traditional design of furniture and other daily objects, and his iconoclastic attitudes towards traditional values and political authority. The title, According to What?, refers to a painting by Jasper Johns, whose work was a catalyst for Ai's entry into the field of contemporary art. Introducing viewers to Ai's enormously diverse oeuvre, this book includes the artist's most significant works in sculpture, photography, video, and site-specific architectural installations, making it an invaluable resource on the artist. The book contains essays by exhibition curator Mami Kataoka, art historian Charles Merewether, and an interview conducted in March 2012 between the Hirshhorn's chief curator Kerry Brougher and the artist.