Toy bricks run through Ai Weiwei’s work as a symbol of free speech. Here they build three of his sharpest statements, and his gesture of defiance towards power
Enter the draw
Brick by brick
Toy Brick Left Hand
Since 1995 Ai Weiwei has photographed himself giving the middle finger to landmarks of power, from Tiananmen Square to the White House, in a series called ‘Study of Perspective’. Here the gesture becomes a sculpture.
“To let them know, and let yourself know, that you exist.”
Each sculpture is hand-built from WOMA bricks in discontinued colours produced specially for this project. Weiwei's signature is engraved onto one brick in every sculpture, and the proof has been approved by the artist. Available in red, blue, green and clear.
Weiwei-isms
‘Weiwei-isms’ is a 2013 book of short, pointed statements by Ai Weiwei, edited by Larry Warsh and drawn from his writing, interviews and social media. Three of them become prints here. ‘Art is life’ and ‘Life is Art’ are set in the style of Ed Ruscha. ‘Liberty is about the fight’ is a homage to Hokusai’s ‘The Great Wave off Kanagawa’ (c. 1831). Each image is built from pixelated toy bricks, the motif Weiwei has returned to throughout his work on free speech.
Explore the editions
Now available
