About the exhibition

…Arranged within the beautiful, Jamie Fobert-designed galleries… this show sparkles with connections and ideas.  4 stars, The Telegraph

This is a political exhibition, but it is also intensely personal. It is a serious exhibition, but it is also playful.

This exhibition may be small, but it still packs a powerful punch… Studio International 

We were delighted to present a new exhibition by Ai Weiwei (born 1957, Beijing, China), one of the world’s most renowned and significant artists. The exhibition explored truth, authenticity and value, as well as globalisation, the coronavirus pandemic and geopolitical crises.

In the ground floor galleries there was a single installation devised by Ai Weiwei. This was the first time the artist had juxtaposed historic Chinese objects with his own artworks. The antiquities on display were acquired by Ai Weiwei at an auction in Cambridge in 2020. He identified some as original, including from the Northern Wei (386 – 534CE) dynasty, and others as counterfeits, later copies of original works.

Ai Weiwei’s own works, beautifully crafted in jade, marble and porcelain, explore contemporary issues, draw on his life story and transform familiar artefacts into iconic objects. The exhibition also included one of the artist’s most famous images, ‘Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn’, made here in LEGO bricks. On the second floor of Kettle’s Yard, you could watch three of the artist’s documentary films, Coronation (2020), Cockroach (2020) and Human Flow (2017). These remarkable films examine and illuminate the pandemic in Wuhan, China, the student protests in Hong Kong and the global migration crisis. Two Fairytale Chairs (2007) were placed in the Kettle’s Yard House for visitors to use. In the Research Space on the first floor were books and films about the artist to read and watch.

Film Screenings

Upcoming Events

A series of special events ran alongside the exhibition.

17 March: Lunchtime Talk on ‘Ai Weiwei: The Liberty of Doubt’ with Carol Atack

1 April: In conversation: Ai Weiwei and Wang Fen

2 April: Creative Workshop exploring Ai Weiwei: The Liberty of Doubt

11 April: Workshop: Plastercasting: From Trash to Treasure

12 April: Workshop: Be the change: Art and social activism

27 April: Lunchtime Talk on ‘Ai Weiwei: The Liberty of Doubt’ with Prerona Prasad

30 April: ‘Ai Weiwei: The Liberty of Doubt’ Exhibition Introduction with Andrew Nairne

20 May: ‘Ai Weiwei: The Liberty of Doubt’ Exhibition Introduction with Elizabeth Brown

9 June: Lunchtime Talk on ‘Ai Weiwei: The Liberty of Doubt’ with Rosie Cooper and En Liang Khong

Shop

Browse the full exhibition range in the Kettle’s Yard shop here.

Images

A Chinese lacquered greystone fragmentary hand clutching a vase. Courtesy Ai Weiwei Studio.

Ai Weiwei, Dragon Vase, 2017. Courtesy Ai Weiwei Studio.

Ai Weiwei, Surveillance Camera with Plinth, 2014. Courtesy Ai Weiwei Studio.

A Chinese grey veined stone Buddhist triad group. Courtesy Ai Weiwei Studio

Ai Weiwei, Han Dynasty Urn With Coca-Cola Logo, 2014. Courtesy Ai Weiwei Studio.

Access

The galleries on the ground floor are wheelchair accessible. They can be accessed from the entrance area by steps or a ramp. There is a lift up to the Edlis Neeson Research Space and the Ede Room.