The Artist as Dissident: China’s Ai Weiwei Evening Lecture

This lecture focuses on the work of Ai Weiwei, the co-designer of the Beijing Olympics “Bird’s Nest” stadium. Michelle Wang, assistant professor of art history at Georgetown University will discuss three dominant themes on Weiwei’s work: bridging the past and present, globalization and displacement, and the uses of digital media. Her remarks provide context for exhibitions at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (Ai Weiwei: According to What, Oct. through Feb. 2013) and the Sackler Gallery (Perspectives May 12 through April 7, 2013).

Perhaps best known outside China as a political activist, Ai Weiwei is first an artist. His oeuvre is unusually broad, ranging from sculpture to photography, video, and site-specific installations. Often using items from everyday life, he repurposes them in ways to comment on cultural history and identity.