Zhou Yan Contemporary Chinese Art Archive 周彦当代中国艺术档案
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Date
2000
Format
Photograph
Exhibition Event Title
Ai, Rebel: The Art and Activism of Ai Weiwei
Date of Exhibition Event
March 12 - September 7, 2025
Location of Exhibition Event
Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, United States
Description
This photograph belongs to Ai Weiwei's Beijing Photographs 1993 - 2003 series. In the image, Ai Weiwei stands in the crowded Tiananmen Square, revealing the word “FUCK” sunburned onto his chest. To achieve this sunburn, Ai wore a white shirt with the four letters cut out from the chest and lay down in the sun at his studio in Caochangdi, Beijing. Tiananmen behind him is one of the most politically significant spaces in China, representing Chinese national identity and state power. In relation to Ai Weiwei’s life experiences, both the fate of him and his father, the famous poet Ai Qing, were deeply affected by this state power and political environment symbolized by the Tiananmen. (Source: https://seattleartmuseum.org/whats-on/exhibitions/ai-weiwei） (Yida Du '29)
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