A Newly Updated Monograph Surveys Four Decades of Ai Weiwei’s Career

From his monumental, meditative installation of 100 million hand-painted porcelain sunflower seeds on the floor of Turbine Hall at Tate Modern to architectural columns wrapped in 14,000 salvaged life vests worn by refugees, artist-activist Ai Weiwei has long tapped into the power of scale, repetition, and symbols to plumb cultural heritage and expose societal issues.

Ai is known for his wide-ranging practice that encompasses large-scale installations, video, architecture, photography, public art, and more. This spring, TASCHEN releases a fully revised monograph titled Ai Weiwei. Updated Edition, building upon the initial volume published a decade ago.

A Han Dynasty ceramic pot painted with the Coca-Cola label — “Han Dynasty Urn with Coca-Cola Logo” (1994,), Western Han Dynasty urn and paint, 25 x ø 28 centimeters

Originally published right after Ai left China, unsure if he’d ever be able to return due to the country’s hostility toward his critical practice, this new volume happens to coincide with the artist’s first trip home after 10 years away.

The new edition chronicles the Chinese artist’s global practice, from his time spent in New York City in the 1980s to his well-known multimedia Zodiac series to recent, architectonic LEGO compositions.

Ai Weiwei. Updated Edition is slated for release next month. Pre-order your copy on Bookshop.

A spread from the book 'Ai Weiwei. Updated Edition' featuring two shelves of pots, with historic versions on top and colorful, contemporary versions on the bottom

An installation by Ai Weiwei of numerous posts and beams from Qing Dynasty temples repurposed into a contemporary sculpture — “Fragments” (2005), table, chairs, parts of beams and pillars from dismantled Qing Dynasty temples, 500 x 850 x 700 centimeters

A portrait of Ai Weiwei with water in the background, holding a cardboard sign that reads "#safepassage" — Ai Weiwei during the filming of ‘Human Flow,’ his documentary on the global refugee crisis, Lesvos (2016)

A spread from the book 'Ai Weiwei. Updated Edition' featuring black-and-white photos of the artist's huge installation of porcelain sunflower seeds on the floor of Turbine Hall, Tate Modern, London

A large-scale artwork by Ai Weiwei made from LEGO bricks after a wheat field painting by Vincent van Gogh with drones flying through it — “Wheatfield with Crows” (2024), toy bricks, 160 x 320 centimeters

A spread from the book 'Ai Weiwei. Updated Edition' featuring colorful editions of the artist's Zodiac animal series

The cover of the book 'Ai Weiwei. Updated Edition'

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