Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei will lead the spring exhibitions at Aviva Studios in Manchester this year, marking his first major show in the north of England.
Manchester arts organisation Factory International has revealed the upcoming season at the venue, with 68-year-old Weiwei among the artists to be showcased, along with a dance production dedicated to late Irish singer Sinead O’Connor.
Weiwei’s large-scale show will take over Aviva Studios’ Warehouse space as he explores 200 years of world history, focusing on British imperialism, Chinese and British relations and the rise of globalisation.
The world-renowned contemporary artist will showcase two new commissions, including his largest 2D artwork to date, made from over a million toy bricks, and a piece made from hundreds of thousands of buttons.
The exhibition will incorporate materials such as antique timber, porcelain, cotton, glass and bronze, and will bring new and existing large scale work together, on display in the UK for the first time.
Weiwei said: “I’m not interested in making very big things just for the sake of it. But in Manchester, that wonderful Warehouse space calls for monumental work.
“Visiting the city for this exhibition – the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution – and reflecting on Britain’s global territorial expansion made me realise I had to explore that history and understand how it connects to the forces driving today’s wars and global crises.
“The world today is deeply divided, with tragedy all around. Understanding history goes hand in hand with standing up for truth and justice.”
Weiwei is a dissident artist and activist, who is best known for working on the design of Beijing’s Olympic stadium and filling the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall with hand-crafted porcelain sunflower seeds in 2010.
Ai Weiwei: Button Up! will run from July 2 to September 6 at Aviva Studios in Manchester.