Contemporary artist and activist Ai Weiwei will present his first-ever durational performance, Sewing a Button, at Aviva Studios in Manchester, transforming his 2011 detention by Chinese authorities into a live 24-hour artwork. The performance opens on 3 July as part of the exhibition Button Up!, which runs from 2 July to 6 September.
The project revisits one of the defining moments of Ai Weiwei’s career, when authorities detained him for 81 days in 2011. Although officials cited alleged tax evasion as the reason for the arrest, many supporters viewed the detention as retaliation for the artist’s outspoken criticism of the Chinese government through works including Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn (1995) and the Study of Perspective series (1995–2011).
Sewing a Button transforms imprisonment into live performance art
For the performance, Ai Weiwei will occupy a full-scale reconstruction of his detention cell created by architecture practice Hawkins\Brown. Throughout the 24-hour workday, he will sleep, eat, exercise, write and wash inside the replica, recreating the routines of his confinement.
Meanwhile, nine actors portraying military guards and doctors, together with four journalists, will repeatedly interrogate the artist during the performance. In addition, electronic music duo Space Afrika will provide a live soundscape that accompanies the work throughout.
The performance marks a significant addition to Ai Weiwei’s multidisciplinary practice, extending his long-standing exploration of surveillance, state power, censorship and personal freedom through live performance.
Button Up! explores history, conflict and political power through everyday objects
Alongside the performance, Button Up! surveys Ai Weiwei’s wider artistic practice through works that examine the intersections of power, trade, war, and empire, using the button as a recurring symbol.
The exhibition includes the Eight-Nation Alliance Flag, constructed from half a million buttons, alongside History of Bombs, the artist’s largest LEGO artwork. Visitors can also experience the monumental Murano glass chandelier, La Commedia Umana, and the celebrated Circle of Animals sculpture series.
Furthermore, audiences unable to attend Sewing a Button in person can watch the performance through a continuous livestream from CCTV cameras installed inside the reconstructed cell on the Factory International website. Live screenings will also take place at ACMI in Australia, ARTHAUS in Argentina, Dover Street Market in France, the Cafesji Centre for the Arts in Armenia and on London’s Piccadilly Lights through CIRCA.
Tickets for Sewing a Button are now available ahead of the performance at Aviva Studios, offering audiences an opportunity to experience one of Ai Weiwei’s most personal and politically charged artworks to date.