World-renowned Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei has taken over Manchester's Aviva Studios with his largest site-specific exhibition to date, titled Ai Weiwei: Button Up. Running until September 6, the monumental show features huge sculptures, new commissions, and live performances that explore more than 200 years of global history, British imperialism, and the complexities of Britain and China's ongoing relationship.
A City at the Heart of the Industrial Revolution
Taking inspiration from Manchester, a city central to the Industrial Revolution, Weiwei's latest works examine how historic systems of trade, empire, and exploitation resonate in today's humanitarian and political crises. Visiting the city for research, he was struck by its past and how global events have intersected with his own family history.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News ahead of the unveiling, Ai Weiwei said: "If we have something to learn about human behaviour or nations, we only have to look at history - there's a pattern of human behaviour. Memory is important, family is important, relationships are important." He added: "We're learning to benefit our understanding of history, but not necessarily to change our behaviour. We repeat the same kind of problems, the same kind of mistakes, and that is probably the character of human society."
Four Million Buttons and a History of Bombs
The exhibition features two new commissions created especially for Aviva Studios, which have been in development even before the vast space was completed. At its heart is Eight-Nation Alliance Flags, a staggering work of eight flags, each made up of half a million buttons—totalling 4 million buttons. The artist bought the buttons from A Brown & Co Buttons in Croydon when it was closing down in 2019. The piece represents the theme of the textile industry utilising buttons as a primary material, as well as the history of the early 20th-century invasion by the Eight-Nation Alliance, which included Britain, France, and the United States. It presents the audience with the former imperial powers who are now having to confront China's rising influence.
Eight-Nation Alliance Flags is joined by a sobering History of Bombs, a toy-brick mural that takes up an entire wall of the warehouse space. Featuring life-sized models of conventional weapons and weapons of mass destruction, it is 25 metres wide and 10 metres high, and uses 3.5 million bricks—representing the artist's largest ever toy brick artwork. A development of a previous piece first displayed in London in 2020, its most recent display was made by volunteers in Manchester and craftspeople in China.
Other Key Works on Display
The journey through the exhibition is heightened by other existing works by the artist, including Law of the Journey (2017), a 49-metre-long inflatable migrant boat containing hundreds of human figures; Wang Family Ancestral Hall (2015), a Ming dynasty ancestral temple reassembled from 1,500 individual wooden pieces and featuring a tea-leaf floor; and Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads (2010), a re-envisioning of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac.
A 24-Hour Performance: Sewing the Button
As part of the experience, on July 3 and 4 the artist will present a 24-hour performance piece called Sewing the Button, giving audiences an unflinching look at his secret detention by Public Security in China in 2011. It will be the first time he has re-enacted the experience live. Audiences will be able to watch Ai sleep, eat, exercise, wash, and be interrogated.
"People ask me how the audience will react and I'm always cynical," added Ai. "Maybe I underestimate human's consciousness and willingness to accept something I'm familiar with, but I hope it doesn't waste their time to see a show like this."
Aviva Studios: A Landmark Cultural Venue
When Aviva Studios opened in 2023, it represented the largest cultural project in the UK since the Tate Modern. Built for a record cost of £242 million, the building, home to Factory International, was designed to host multiple world-leading events. Massive installations, huge live performances, and immersive exhibitions were all promised. From Yayoi Kusama's You, Me and the Balloons to Marina Abramović's Balkan Erotic Epic, and David Hockney's Bigger & Closer 360-degree exhibition, its ambitious remit has been delivered upon. Now, Ai Weiwei's Button Up takes things up a level.
Ai Weiwei: Button Up runs from July 2 to September 6 at Aviva Studios, Manchester.
