Translating a defiant self-portrait
In the short film below, Weiwei tells the story behind a photograph of the artist, taken after he endured police brutality, which the limited edition embroideries reinterpret.Time-limited edition
Frame included
Self-Portrait Embroidery (Purple & Yellow) Edition of 49
Self-Portrait Embroidery (Blue & Pink) Edition of 42
Artwork
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Ai Weiwei transforms a defiant self-portrait into a new limited edition pair of embroideries.
In 2011, following 81 days in detention with Chinese authorities, Weiwei and his team secretly created toy brick portraits of global political prisoners for a major show at the decommissioned Alcatraz prison in San Francisco. Due to his passport being confiscated, Weiwei was unable to attend the exhibition, uniting him in solidarity with his subjects.
Presented here as a pair, the pixelated embroidery translates a self-portrait of Weiwei with a shaved head and scar – the result of police brutality following his investigation into the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, which caused the artist to haemorrhage. It forms a powerful statement of persistence and solidarity, reflecting Weiwei’s unwavering belief that “it is your duty as an artist to fight and to protect freedom of speech.”
Both individual embroideries in the pair feature approximately 460,000 stitches, embroidered in 5 colours on 230gsm cotton and mounted in a bespoke frame. Each is meticulously crafted to translate the pixelated texture and bold presence of the original toy brick work.
