Ai Weiwei

In more than 600 sequenced photographs, the iconic Chinese artist and dissident provides an intimate glimpse - which China has refused to publish - of the country that went on to imprison him for his criticism. -The New York Times Book Review Ai Weiwei: Beijing Photographs 1993-2003 is a book for fans and scholars alike. It is a diary, and so it has that insight which only reveals itself when you know the public story. If you know the arc of that story, the diary adds tenor, counterpoint and unexpected harmony, as well as dissonance. It's a bit like reading the journals of important authors or looking at the sketchbooks of important painters-a bit like listening to recording studio outtakes. You don't start there. But you get there as fast as you can. -Lens Culture In this follow up to Ai Weiwei: New York Photographs 1983-1993, Chinese artist, architect, and activist Ai crafts a fascinating, deeply personal photographic diary of life in Beijing from 1993 to 2003... Of particular interest to fans of Ai's work, this excellent collection is also a passionate cry for freedom of speech. -Publishers Weekly

Ai Weiwei is one of today's most important and controversial artists. His recent exhibitions include " Sunflower Seeds" at the Tate Modern, London, a vast assemblage of handcrafted porcelain sunflower seeds; and six fiberglass dioramas depicting his 81-day imprisonment in 2011, shown at a Venice gallery in parallel with the 2013 Venice Biennale. He was a designer of the famous " Bird's Nest" stadium of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. John Tancock is an art historians and coauthor of Ai Weiwei: New York 1983-1993. WIth his coeditor Stephanie H. Tung and Ai Weiwei, he sorted through more than 40,000 negatives to select the images included in this book. Stephanie H. Tung is an art historians and coauthor of Ai Weiwei: New York 1983-1993. WIth her coeditor John Tancock and Ai Weiwei, she sorted through more than 40,000 negatives to select the images included in this book.