Ai Weiwei’s first-ever India exhibition to open in Delhi

One of the most influential voices in contemporary art, Ai Weiwei is recognised for his engagement with politics and society through critical inquiries. Known for pushing the boundaries between art and activism, the Chinese dissident artist’s first solo exhibition in India will be held later this month at Nature Morte gallery in Delhi. “This is my first exhibition in India… although there are only a dozen of my artworks, it covers several key points that trace more than 20 years — and almost 30 years — of my creative activity,” said the artist in a statement released.

Courtesy: Nature Morte gallery

To take place from January 15 to February 22, the exhibition will bring “together a focused selection of works across mediums”. This will include his celebrated toy-brick compositions, where he interlocks the bricks to create monumental pixel-like surfaces that reference art history, political events, portraits and moments of collective memory. The works on view will include Surfing (After Hokusai) that reimagines Japanese ukiyo-e artist Hokusai’s acclaimed 1831 print The Great Wave, one of the most recognisable images in art history, as well as Water Lilies, which is a representation of Claude Monet’s iconic paintings in the series.

Aparajita Jain, co-director of Nature Morte, noted, “Bringing Ai’s work to India isn’t about creating a spectacle — for us, it is about urgency. His work speaks to the present moment with total clarity: history, power, borders, memory. India is a place where these questions are lived, not abstract, and this exhibition invites that conversation without flinching.”

The exhibition will also mark how Ai Weiwei’s practice has continued to bridge ancient history and contemporary realities, using varied materials and mediums to address urgent global concerns and sociopolitical issues. If Stone Axes Painted White features neolithic stone axes, Porcelain Pillar with Refugee Motif addresses concerns regarding migration. The recent works to be showcased includes F.U.C.K. that uses buttons, and Whitewashed Remnants of History of the State of Emerging Future Works, which is reportedly being exhibited for the first time. “Presenting his first solo show in India feels both overdue and essential, especially now, when the politics of images, movement, and belonging are shaping lives everywhere — including here,” added Peter Nagy, co-director of Nature Morte.