In this gallery talk, Kristina Kleutghen, David W. Mesker Associate Professor of Art History and Archaeology in Arts & Sciences, and Sabine Eckmann, William T. Kemper Director and Chief Curator, will discuss Ai Weiwei's engagement with China's history, including his use of Chinese artifacts and traditional crafts at the same time the country undergoes a radical and ongoing transformation into a global present and future.

Free and open to the public. In conjunction with the exhibition Ai Weiwei: Bare Life.

Image credit

Ai Weiwei (Chinese, b. 1957), Through, 2007–8. Wooden tables and beams and pillars from dismantled temples from the Qing dynasty (1644–1912), 216 9/16 x 334 5/8 x 543 5/16" (550 x 850 x 1380 cm.) Installation view, 2008.