Ai Weiwei: Aftershock

An exhibition showcasing Ai Weiwei’s five-decade career, from works created in New York in the 80s to new sculptures created in Ukraine in 2025.

This exhibition is conceived as a cultural dialogue between the Chinese artist, architect and activist Ai Weiwei and MAXXI L’Aquila. At the heart of the exhibition project lies a series of seminal works created in the wake of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, now on display in the Baroque spaces of Palazzo Ardinghelli, a building that symbolises rebirth following the earthquake that struck L’Aquila in 2009.

In this context, the exhibition explores the lasting impact of natural disasters, conflicts, corruption and collective tragedies, emphasising human resilience and the power of the creative act as a form of testimony and transformation.

Films, videos, photographs, sculptures and installations offer a different perspective on the world. Although rooted in personal experience, his work manages to speak to everyone.

header: stills from the music video Dumbass, 2013, 5min 13 sec, cinematography by Christopher Doyle, Courtesy of Ai Weiwei Studio