00:18

square yellow and white print on a mirrored substrate

Ai Weiwei

Human Flow

€1,250

Edition of 100

Sold out

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Human Flow belongs to a trio of artworks by Ai Weiwei which combine innovative printing methods with pillars of freedom upheld throughout his practice.

Figures in motion, laden with bags, move in an endless circle at the centre of the print. Razor wire surrounds them. CCTV cameras look on ominously. Ai reflects on the importance of a person’s liberty to move, and the forms of persecution that may lead them to do so. Opaque layers of white and yellow ink are applied to a mirrored aluminium substrate – subsuming onlooker and artwork in the reflective surface.

“If there is one refugee, we are all refugees. It's not that you're potentially a refugee, or potentially involved. We are involved. We are refugees. This idea is not easy to establish, so I tried to make it beautiful. You can see the image, but you can also see yourself in the reflection.”

Go behind the scenes at Make-Ready in London as Ai reflects on the profundities of printmaking, and its lineage within his practice.

Go deeper

06:12

Behind the scenes

Ai Weiwei

11 collaborations

Ai Weiwei is unafraid to speak truth to power. He’s one of the most famous living artists today – a testament to the breadth and vision of his practice. Effortlessly, he moves between different media, from sculpture and architecture to performance and documentary film. His work is often monumental in scale and is driven by a hunger for truth and justice. In 2008, for example, Ai spent many months collecting the names of over 5000 children who lost their lives in the Sichuan earthquake. This unflinching dedication to human rights saw him detained by the Chinese government for 81 days in 2011, accused of ‘subverting the state.’

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Reviews from Avant collectors

Beautifully printed piece. Nice touch on the bag and gloves. Thank you for your efficiency and timely updates.
Review of Actual Size
Luv, luv, luv! Simple and clean complexity! A genuine piece of Art to love and admire...daily!
Review of Descendent - Lucid Dreamer
lovely piece i am absolutely delighted with it thank you
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As a longtime buyer of prints and editions I am extremely impressed with my first Avant Arte experience. The attention to quality, detail, packaging and the customer experience are among the best Ive seen.
Review of Untitled
simply one of the most well produced prints i have ever purchased. its absolutely beyond what i was expecting. so beautiful!!!
Review of Prismatic Head Composition
It's my 1st art piece and I love it! I wish I got it framed.
Review of Guardian
amazing experience throughout, from the actual purchase to the delivery. it was well package and the unboxing was a sweet experience! can’t wait to have it framed and to hang it on my wall!
Review of La Nascita
im thrilled and am looking forward to purchasing another piece soon!
Review of Guardian

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