The floor is another surprise. Ai Weiwei required the floor to be cement-rendering. The request is by no means an easy task since the artist ordered the floor to be flat, smooth and free from dust-stirring. The project was repeated over and over again to meet Ai's demand. Finally the floor had to be slightly varnished.
Ai Weiwei's courtyard is also a strange symbol which is hard for visitors to understand. It is too empty except for the green plants-a cluster of bamboo, several willows and Chinese scholar trees. Loosely placed around the corner of the courtyard are a green beach umbrella and several chairs. Obviously this is one of Ai's favorite places. The stepping stone at the gateway is a huge one carried back from the mountainous area, reminding people of the mystic stones in classic Chinese literature.
The warehouse adjacent the hall is for display of Ai Weiwei's art work. The most eye-catching one is a ring pieced together with bicycles. Ai is good at doing artistic compositions and rendering them new meanings, as often seen in his works.
Ai Weiwei enjoys being alienated from the city. Life in the metropolis is of little interest for him. One of his hobbies is collecting antiques, which can be found in his home. But he won't tell you more about them. These antiques are part of his home and help create a sense of tenderness instead of coldness.
That is Ai Weiwei, his home and his works. Ai Weiwei declares that he has no noteworthy profession. His life attitude is being honest and simple. The conceptualist is definitely enjoying his life as much as possible, because life and work have naturally combined into one vision, though it is hard for most people to understand what he is doing.
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Profile of Ai Weiwei
Born in Beijing in 1957. Studied at Beijing Film Academy. Attended Art Student League, and Parsons School of Design, New York in 1981. From 1994, worked as a chief editor and publisher of avant-garde art magazines Black Paper (1994), White Paper (1995), and Gray Paper (1996) in Beijing, China. Founds Chinese Art Archives and Warehouse, Beijing, China in 1996. Jury member for annual Chinese Contemporary Art Awards (1998-2002). Built own residence and studio in Beijing as the beginning of his architectural career. He has practiced in the fields of Landscape design, city planning, individual house design and interior design (1999-2003). In 1999 he curated and took part in Fuck Off at Eastlink Gallery, Shanghai, China and his studio moved to Nanga, Beijing. His currents projects include landscape design (2002), expert consultation for design of National Olympic Stadium for Beijing's 2008 Olympics in cooperation with Herzog & de Meuron (2003) and expert consultation for design of The Commercial Cultural and Entertainment Centre of Jindong New District, Jinhua, Zhejiang, China in cooperation with Herzog & de Meuron (2003). (Gao Qian) Previous
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Director: Liu Chi