Ai Weiwei is famous for more than just his art. His actions advocating for freedom of expression and against authoritarian arbitrariness resonate far beyond the art world. His work is marked by social and political engagement: whether bringing 1001 Chinese citizens from all classes and provinces to Documenta 12, scattering 100 million handmade porcelain sunflower seeds in the Turbine Hall of the Tate Modern, commemorating children who were victims of the Sichuan earthquake with a frieze made of school backpacks, or visiting refugee camps worldwide for his film Human Flow to get closer to individual fates within the collective flow. Due to his relentless criticism, Ai was detained by the Chinese police for 81 days in 2011 and had his passport confiscated, which he only got back in 2015 despite international protests. Since Ai has been able to move outside China again—first to Berlin, then to Portugal—he has become a truly global artist whose work is always shaped by his activism and vice versa.

The comprehensive update of the Ai Weiwei monograph by TASCHEN focuses on the most recent decade of art and activism by one of the most committed artists of our time. Now spanning 40 years of artistic creation, it covers everything from his New York exile in the 1980s, through sculptures from the time of his return to China based on traditional craft techniques, to the latest works conceived in Europe: mosaics made from toy bricks, films, and installations for human rights. This book itself is a historical document: originally conceived as the first detailed monograph on the artist while he was still detained in China, the same team has now reunited to continue the story. Numerous illustrations from the artist’s archive show everyday studio life, the production of works, and political actions. They are accompanied by Ai’s exclusive statements made for this edition and three essays on his work and life: independent curator Roger M. Buergel and art historian Alfred Weidinger, both of whom have worked with the artist on major exhibitions, describe the development of his work and themes, while longtime friend, collector, and entrepreneur Uli Sigg contributes a personal portrait of the artist from two temporal perspectives.