"Ai Weiwei: a transcultural iconoclast?"

Dario Gamboni has written widely on the topic of iconoclasm. His book, 'The Destruction of Art: Iconoclasm and Vandalism since the French Revolution', was published by Reaktion in 1997. He is currently a Research Fellow at the Henry Moore Institute. Dario will be speaking on the contemporary Chinese artist and activist, Ai Weiwei. Dario writes:

'Ai Weiwei has become famous for iconoclastic actions such as dropping a Han-dynasty urn or dipping Neolithic vases into synthetic paint. On the other hand, he has become a vocal critic of the rampant destruction of the Beijing architectural heritage and points to this loss by incorporating materials from demolished houses and temples in to his works. My paper will argue, however, that this involvement with Chinese history old and new is also connected with Ai's twelve-year stay in the US, his dialogue with Western art and his presence in the international art world.'

Dario G- Poster Ai Wei Wei (PDF , 318kb)