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Single Panel Portrait of Ai Weiwei

Ai Weiwei

Single Panel Portrait of Ai Weiwei

2014

Sculpture (Lego blocks) on plastic board

38 × 38 cm

Ed. /40

Location: Paris, France

https://www.artransfer.com/web/image/product.template/28665/image_1920?unique=3cd6d2e

24,300 € 24300.0 EUR 24,300 €

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About the artwork

This work is a striking self-portrait composed entirely of LEGO bricks, exemplifying Ai Weiwei’s use of everyday materials to challenge conventions of value, authorship, and political identity. In Single Panel Portrait of Ai Weiwei, the artist translates his likeness into a pixelated monochrome grid, echoing both digital imaging and traditional mosaic techniques. Part of an edition of only 40 panels, the work was created specifically for the Art About Place project organized by the For-Site Foundation and distributed through Haines Gallery. The minimal palette and geometric construction highlight Ai Weiwei’s interest in visual systems, surveillance, reproduction, and the politics of representation. Compact yet conceptually rich, the piece encapsulates Ai Weiwei’s ongoing exploration of personal narrative and collective memory through mass-produced materials.

Expert opinion

Ai Weiwei’s LEGO works have gained significant attention due to their conceptual clarity and their engagement with themes of censorship, mass production, and digital identity. Their pixelated structure reinforces the tension between individuality and homogenization, central to the artist’s political discourse. Editioned LEGO portraits, especially self-portraits, are relatively scarce and sit at the intersection of sculpture, design, and political art. This edition of 40 is particularly tight, enhancing its desirability. Works produced for the For-Site Foundation, a respected organization known for socially engaged commissions, are considered strong collectors’ pieces. Due to its scale, rarity, and provenance, Single Panel Portrait of Ai Weiwei stands out as a compact but museum-quality work suitable for collectors of sculpture, conceptual art, and contemporary Asian art.

About the artist

Ai Weiwei (born 1957 in Beijing, China) is a Chinese artist and activist living and working in Berlin, Cambridge, and Portugal. He studied animation at the Beijing Film Academy and became a founding member of the Stars Art Group in 1979, which challenged artistic restrictions in post-Mao China. After moving to New York in 1981, he engaged with Western art movements, particularly conceptual art and minimalism. Returning to China in the early 1990s, Ai established himself as a key figure in contemporary art with a multidisciplinary practice that includes sculpture, installation, photography, architecture, social media, and filmmaking. His work often utilizes everyday materials such as Lego bricks, porcelain, and found objects to address themes of identity, history, human rights, and state control. Notable projects include installations like Sunflower Seeds and Straight, which reflect on significant social issues. Ai's outspoken criticism of the Chinese government led to his arrest and imprisonment in 2011, increasing his international visibility. His works are part of major collections in institutions such as the Tate, MoMA, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Centre Pompidou.

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