HUM 105, Hybrid
Assignment II – Ai Weiwei, Art Uniting the East with the West
As you learned in this Module Lesson, the contemporary Chinse artist Ai Weiwei creates artworks
and installations that are socially, culturally, and politically critical of the Chinese government,
industry, corporations, and other current issues and events.
ASSIGNMENT:
Start by exploring Ai Weiwei’s website (if available – subject to Chinese censorship) and each of
the links below. Your research is not limited to following links:
http://aiweiwei.com/
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/is-ai-weiwei-chinas-most-dangerous-man-
17989316/?no-ist
http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2016/04/28/lego-admits-it-was-a-mistake-refusing-ai-weiweibricks-for-art-exhibition/
http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/unilever-series-ai-weiwei-sunflower-seeds
https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/ai_weiwei_lego_collection_point
Ai Weiwei and Human Flow
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJsWSa_On9A
Ai Weiwei Drifting
Now, after reading about the artist and learning about some of the art projects he has created
from the above sites (and other sources you may explore), pick one specific artwork or
installation created by Ai Weiwei, and discover his purpose for the work / what he is reacting to
or commenting on, and the public / government’s reaction to it (if this information is available).
Write a 700-1000 word paper reporting on Ai Weiwei, including a description of the project you
chose to focus on and what you discovered regarding its purpose/message and public response.
Your introductory paragraph should identify the artwork/project including the artist’s name, the
title of the piece (in italics), the date it was created, and its materials.
Include a thesis statement in your opening paragraph – this might be a general statement on the
purpose of the piece you chose (and the rest of your paper should be specific points and examples
supporting this purpose including the choices the artist makes to help get the message across to
the viewer). This is not about YOUR opinion, but about what you have learned.
Again, you should describe the piece including the material(s) it is made from, its location (if
important), opinions, circumstances or events that the artists is reacting to (if any), the purpose or
message the artist is trying to convey, and the reaction of the public to the art and its message.
SOURCES:
If you expand your research beyond the above listed web links, be sure to list the additional
sources at the end of your report (URL addresses are adequate or may use more formal citation
style – MLA, APA, etc.).
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