CNC-cut on vinyl, unsigned and not numbered, with the original packaging.
Freud Banner (2018) by Ai Weiwei is a CNC-cut vinyl work measuring 122 × 43 cm, produced in an edition of 500. Unsigned and unnumbered, it was distributed with original packaging. The piece was created for Good Fences Make Good Neighbors, Ai Weiwei’s large-scale public art project across New York City in 2017, organized by Public Art Fund. This banner depicts a portrait of Sigmund Freud through a perforated grid, merging political commentary with cultural history. By referencing Freud—the father of psychoanalysis—Ai connects ideas of identity, migration, and human rights with deeper explorations of the human psyche.
Ai Weiwei (China, 1957) is a globally influential artist and activist blending conceptual art with political commentary. Known for provocative works like Sunflower Seeds and Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn, he critiques authority, censorship, and human rights abuses. His installations, films, and public interventions challenge societal norms and inspire global dialogue.
Mixed MediaMixed media refers to artwork that incorporates more than one medium within a single piece. Unlike multimedia art, which combines distinct forms of visual art and often includes elements like sound, video, or digital media, mixed media focuses on combining traditional art materials, such as paint, ink, and collage. Mixed media art allows artists to achieve a wide range of effects and textures by layering and blending different materials.
CNC-cut on vinyl, unsigned and not numbered, with the original packaging.
Freud Banner (2018) by Ai Weiwei is a CNC-cut vinyl work measuring 122 × 43 cm, produced in an edition of 500. Unsigned and unnumbered, it was distributed with original packaging. The piece was created for Good Fences Make Good Neighbors, Ai Weiwei’s large-scale public art project across New York City in 2017, organized by Public Art Fund. This banner depicts a portrait of Sigmund Freud through a perforated grid, merging political commentary with cultural history. By referencing Freud—the father of psychoanalysis—Ai connects ideas of identity, migration, and human rights with deeper explorations of the human psyche.
Ai Weiwei (China, 1957) is a globally influential artist and activist blending conceptual art with political commentary. Known for provocative works like Sunflower Seeds and Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn, he critiques authority, censorship, and human rights abuses. His installations, films, and public interventions challenge societal norms and inspire global dialogue.
If my art has nothing to do with people's pain and sorrow, what is 'art' for?
- Ai Weiwei
Receiving worldwide acclaim for his activism, Ai Weiwei’s work spans across several mediums as an architect, curator and filmmaker. Ai’s most recognised social commentaries pertain to the Chinese government and the loss of traditional culture; Sunflower Seeds - a piece displayed at the Tate Modern - featured the scattering of over 60 million hand-painted porcelain ‘seeds’, an allusion to the destructive nature of mass consumption and the subsequent loss of individuality. Prior to the cultural revolution that took place in China, Ai and his family had first been sent to a labour camp, then subsequently exiled for 16 years. Upon the Chinese reform, Ai moved to New York and was notably influenced by the work of Andy Warhol and Marcel Duchamp; he also met beat poet, Allen Ginsberg, around this time, and developed his own philosophies on the schism between Western and traditional cultures. Coca Cola Vase is another of Ai’s most acclaimed works; a Han dynasty urn that has been emblazoned with the Coca Cola logo – another nod to the ever-expanding consumerist culture. (Artist website)
Contemporary art refers to avant-garde or innovative art created in the recent past or present day. The exact starting point of contemporary art varies depending on the institution, often tied to the founding year of museums or galleries that showcase the style. Contemporary art is characterized by its focus on current ideas, diverse media, and the exploration of new concepts and techniques.