One of the most important figures in the Chinese world of contemporary art is the artist and architect Ai Weiwei (b. 1957). The solo exhibition by Ai Weiwei in the Groninger Museum marks his debut in the Netherlands.

One of the most important figures in the Chinese world of contemporary art is the artist and architect Ai Weiwei (b. 1957). The solo exhibition by Ai Weiwei in the Groninger Museum marks his debut in the Netherlands.

Ai Weiwei once belonged to the Stars group, an artists' movement that was imbued with Western artistic outlooks and was socially critical in character. In the early 1980s he moved to New York, returning to Beijing in 1994, where he emerged as an important driving force in the Chinese art world, among other things for establishing the China Art Archives and Warehouse in 1997. In 2000, on the occasion of the Shanghai Biennale, he organized the controversial group exhibition Fuck Off, together with curator Feng Boyi. Ai Weiwei's work has already featured prominently on the international stage, including the most recent Documenta in Kassel. He was also recently involved in the design of the Olympic Stadium in Beijing by Herzog & de Meuron.

This publication takes a closer look at one of the materials that Ai Weiwei has explored over the years: ceramics. His recent ceramic work will be presented in the exhibition at the Groninger Museum's Coop Himmelb(l)au pavilion.