{"id":1780177,"date":"2026-02-19T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1780177"},"modified":"2026-02-19T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T21:00:00","slug":"a-newly-updated-monograph-surveys-four-decades-of-ai-weiweis-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1780177","title":{"rendered":"A Newly Updated Monograph Surveys Four Decades of Ai Weiwei\u2019s Career"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content prose-colossal max-w-none\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull is-style-default entry-header is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-fe9cc265 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"colo-post-featured-image wp-block-post-featured-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1568\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ai-4.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"A spread from the book 'Ai Weiwei. Updated Edition' featuring an installation of a Chinese dragon inside of an exhibition space\" style=\"object-fit:cover\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">All images courtesy of the artist and TASCHEN, shared with permission<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group post-title is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0bc941e6 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h1 class=\"alignfull wp-block-post-title\">A Newly Updated Monograph Surveys Four Decades of Ai Weiwei\u2019s Career<\/h1>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-meta is-layout-flex wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-02-19T12:30:28-06:00\">February 19, 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<div class=\"taxonomy-category wp-block-post-terms\"><a class=\"category-art\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/art\/\" rel=\"tag\">Art<\/a><a class=\"category-books\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/books\/\" rel=\"tag\">Books<\/a><a class=\"category-social-issues\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/social-issues\/\" rel=\"tag\">Social Issues<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author-name\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/author\/kmothes\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"wp-block-post-author-name__link\">Kate Mothes<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-share-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6c531013 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing has-visible-labels has-icon-color is-style-logos-only is-layout-flex wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-is-layout-flex\">\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d\" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-facebook has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2F2026%2F02%2Fai-weiwei-updated-edition-monograph-book%2F&amp;title=A%20Newly%20Updated%20Monograph%20Surveys%20Four%20Decades%20of%20Ai%20Weiwei%27s%20Career\" aria-label=\"Share\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-label \"><br \/>\n\t\t\tShare\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d\" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-pinterest has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2F2026%2F02%2Fai-weiwei-updated-edition-monograph-book%2F&amp;description=A%20Newly%20Updated%20Monograph%20Surveys%20Four%20Decades%20of%20Ai%20Weiwei%27s%20Career&amp;media=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F02%2Fai-4-960x588.jpg\" aria-label=\"Pin\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-S3JaRVlT\" data-rl_title data-rl_caption title><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-label \"><br \/>\n\t\t\tPin\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d\" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-mail has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#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\" aria-label=\"Email\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-label \"><br \/>\n\t\t\tEmail\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><button class=\"simplefavorite-button preset\" data-postid=\"469852\" data-siteid=\"1\" data-groupid=\"1\" data-favoritecount=\"0\"><i class=\"sf-icon-bookmark\"><\/i>Bookmark<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>From his monumental, meditative installation of 100 million hand-painted porcelain sunflower seeds on the floor of Turbine Hall at Tate Modern to architectural columns wrapped in 14,000 salvaged <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/2016\/02\/ai-weiwei-konzerthaus-refugee-life-vests\/\">life vests worn by refugees<\/a>, artist-activist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aiweiwei.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ai Weiwei<\/a> has long tapped into the power of scale, repetition, and symbols to plumb cultural heritage and expose societal issues.<\/p>\n<p>Ai is known for his wide-ranging practice that encompasses <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/tags\/ai-weiwei\">large-scale installations<\/a>, video, architecture, photography, public art, and more. This spring, TASCHEN releases a fully revised monograph titled <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.taschen.com\/en\/books\/art\/01442\/ai-weiwei-updated-edition\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ai Weiwei. Updated Edition<\/a><\/em>, building upon the initial volume published a decade ago.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ai-66.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-469852\" title=\"\u201cHan Dynasty Urn with Coca-Cola Logo\u201d (1994,), Western Han Dynasty urn and paint, 25 x \u00f8 28 centimeters\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cHan Dynasty Urn with Coca-Cola Logo\u201d (1994,), Western Han Dynasty urn and paint, 25 x \u00f8 28 centimeters\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cHan Dynasty Urn with Coca-Cola Logo\u201d (1994,), Western Han Dynasty urn and paint, 25 x \u00f8 28 centimeters\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2560\" height=\"2842\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ai-66.jpg\" alt=\"A Han Dynasty ceramic pot painted with the Coca-Cola label\" class=\"wp-image-469866\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cHan Dynasty Urn with Coca-Cola Logo\u201d (1994,), Western Han Dynasty urn and paint, 25 x \u00f8 28 centimeters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Originally published right after Ai left China, unsure if he\u2019d ever be able to return due to the country\u2019s hostility toward his critical practice, this new volume happens to coincide with the artist\u2019s first trip home after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/2023\/03\/ai-weiwei-lego-lilies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">10 years away<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The new edition chronicles the Chinese artist\u2019s global practice, from his time spent in New York City in the 1980s to his well-known multimedia Zodiac series to recent, architectonic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/2023\/03\/ai-weiwei-lego-lilies\/\">LEGO compositions<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p><em>Ai Weiwei. Updated Edition <\/em>is slated for release next month. Pre-order your copy on <a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/96\/9783754404270\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bookshop<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ai-2.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-469852\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1626\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ai-2.jpg\" alt=\"A spread from the book 'Ai Weiwei. Updated Edition' featuring two shelves of pots, with historic versions on top and colorful, contemporary versions on the bottom\" class=\"wp-image-469854\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ai-77.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-469852\" title=\"\u201cFragments\u201d (2005), table, chairs, parts of beams and pillars from dismantled Qing Dynasty temples, 500 x 850 x 700 centimeters\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cFragments\u201d (2005), table, chairs, parts of beams and pillars from dismantled Qing Dynasty temples, 500 x 850 x 700 centimeters\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cFragments\u201d (2005), table, chairs, parts of beams and pillars from dismantled Qing Dynasty temples, 500 x 850 x 700 centimeters\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1732\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ai-77.jpg\" alt=\"An installation by Ai Weiwei of numerous posts and beams from Qing Dynasty temples repurposed into a contemporary sculpture\" class=\"wp-image-469867\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cFragments\u201d (2005), table, chairs, parts of beams and pillars from dismantled Qing Dynasty temples, 500 x 850 x 700 centimeters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ai-88.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-469852\" title=\"Ai Weiwei during the filming of \u2018Human Flow,\u2019 his documentary on the global refugee crisis, Lesvos (2016)\" data-rl_title=\"Ai Weiwei during the filming of \u2018Human Flow,\u2019 his documentary on the global refugee crisis, Lesvos (2016)\" data-rl_caption=\"Ai Weiwei during the filming of \u2018Human Flow,\u2019 his documentary on the global refugee crisis, Lesvos (2016)\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2560\" height=\"2261\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ai-88.jpg\" alt='A portrait of Ai Weiwei with water in the background, holding a cardboard sign that reads \"#safepassage\"' class=\"wp-image-469868\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ai Weiwei during the filming of \u2018Human Flow,\u2019 his documentary on the global refugee crisis, Lesvos (2016)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ai-3.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-469852\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1561\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ai-3.jpg\" alt=\"A spread from the book 'Ai Weiwei. Updated Edition' featuring black-and-white photos of the artist's huge installation of porcelain sunflower seeds on the floor of Turbine Hall, Tate Modern, London\" class=\"wp-image-469855\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ai-99.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-469852\" title=\"\u201cWheatfield with Crows\u201d (2024), toy bricks, 160 x 320 centimeters\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cWheatfield with Crows\u201d (2024), toy bricks, 160 x 320 centimeters\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cWheatfield with Crows\u201d (2024), toy bricks, 160 x 320 centimeters\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1338\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ai-99.jpg\" alt=\"A large-scale artwork by Ai Weiwei made from LEGO bricks after a wheat field painting by Vincent van Gogh with drones flying through it\" class=\"wp-image-469869\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cWheatfield with Crows\u201d (2024), toy bricks, 160 x 320 centimeters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ai-5.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-469852\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1575\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ai-5.jpg\" alt=\"A spread from the book 'Ai Weiwei. Updated Edition' featuring colorful editions of the artist's Zodiac animal series\" class=\"wp-image-469857\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ai-1.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-469852\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1976\" height=\"1941\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ai-1.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of the book 'Ai Weiwei. Updated Edition'\" class=\"wp-image-469853\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"after-entry\" role=\"complementary\" aria-label=\"After Entry\">\n<section id=\"block-16\" class=\"widget widget_block widget_text\">\n<p><mark style=\"background-color:#88caf0\" class=\"has-inline-color\"><strong>Do stories and artists like this matter to you?<\/strong><\/mark> Become a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/members\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"118516\">Colossal Member<\/a> now, and support independent arts publishing.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"block-17\" class=\"widget widget_block\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-top is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-top member-benefits is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:50%\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Hide advertising<\/li>\n<li>Save your favorite 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href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/2026\/02\/robinsson-cravents-yosemite-autumn-winter\/\" rel=\"prev\">Next article<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>All images courtesy of the artist and TASCHEN, shared with permission A Newly Updated Monograph Surveys Four Decades of Ai Weiwei\u2019s Career February 19, 2026 ArtBooksSocial Issues Kate Mothes Share Pin Email Bookmark From his monumental, meditative installation of 100 million hand-painted porcelain sunflower seeds on the floor of Turbine Hall at Tate Modern to 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