In 2019, Ai Weiwei purchased the entire stock of A Brown and Co Buttons, a defunct South London textile factory. At the time, the move raised questions about his intent with 30 tons of buttons. Since then, his engagement with the everyday object has continued to evolve. Most recently, that focus moves to the foreground with Button Up!, an exhibition opening July 2 at Factory International in Manchester. As a result, a long-term material investment now reaches a public culmination.
Material, Labor, and History
Within the former warehouse venue, the exhibition introduces “Eight-Nation Alliance Flags,” a new body of textile works made specifically for the space. Notably, the installation examines industrialization and globalization through material culture. Each flag contains 9,000 buttons, which a team of women artisans in Shandong, China, sewed, netted, and assembled. Together, porcelain, cotton, glass, and bronze components narrate patterns of consumption in a globalized world. In addition, the exhibition debuts an 80-foot two-dimensional version of History of Bombs, constructed entirely from Lego bricks.
“Visiting the city for this exhibition – the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution – and reflecting on Britain’s global territorial expansion made me realize I had to explore that history and understand how it connects to the forces driving today’s wars and global crises,” the artist said in a recent statement.
The works connect labor and industrial capitalism through textile history, particularly between England and China. Moreover, they reference the Eight-Nation Alliance—Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the U.S., and Austria-Hungary—which invaded China in 1900 during the Boxer Rebellion. Consequently, historical conflict and material production intersect within the installation.
Contemporary Resonance and Public View
Ai frames the past as a lens for interpreting current conditions. “The world today is deeply divided, with tragedy all around,” he continued. “Understanding history goes hand in hand with standing up for truth and justice.” Therefore, Button Up! positions historical analysis as a tool for contemporary reflection.
The exhibition opens on July 2 and remains on view through September 6 at Factory International in Manchester.