Ai Weiwei
Book Design
Pay tribute to artist Ai Weiwei with a sealed cement book.
Ai Weiwei is one of my favorite artists. When I was still at university, I designed a book about him. I created a kind of box made of cement in which the book is stored. In order to read it, one must first break the cement with a hammer. The inspiration for this came from Ai Weiwei’s life experiences.
In 2019, I created a new, improved version of the book. I retained the cover style of the first edition but made significant changes to the content.
I sewed a ticket from Ai Weiwei‘s exhibition onto the cover of the book. The book consists of 3 parts and corresponds to Ai Weiwei‘s life: The Photography, The Work and The Documentation. I dedicated a specific colour to each part. I chose the colours black, white and grey as a tribute to Ai Weiwei‘s magazine „Black, White, Grey“ which he founded in Beijing in the past.
Research
Black part
Grey part
White part
The Book of Construction
A kind of Cardboard made of Cement
Next to the book in the cement, I put a hammer that you have to use if you want to read the book. This idea reflects Ai Weiwei‘s experience. The cement is the symbol of coldness and blockage and illustrates how Ai Weiwei was blocked by the mainstream media and the government in China. I hope that the hammer can be used to break free from the blockade, because I think artists should enjoy more freedom. My personal opinion about the critical situation of artists in China is also included in this book and I hope to make the readers of my book think about it.
Grey part
Dokumentarfilm
White part
Artwork
Black part
Photography
