Ai Weiwei is one of the most influential contemporary Chinese artists and activists. Transcending the bounds of East and West culture, his works often provoke thoughts on fundamental artistic, cultural, and social issues.

Similar to his preceding work Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn (1995), the present lot To Fight with Crossed Arms (Lot 28) shows Ai in a series of four large photographs. Ai created this work with MAP Office, Laurent Gutierrez and Valérie Portefaix, who have been close friends with Ai. They were the ones waiting for him to arrive in Hong Kong, when Ai was detained on April 3rd, 2011. The four photographs “To hold a brick,” “To show a brick,” “To throw a brick,” and “To put a brick on the head” present what it means in four positions respectively – the architect, the curator, the critic, and the artist. The work’s title is derived from a quote by Marcel Duchamp. By using a brick in this art work, Ai gives credits to this humble every day building module in his architect/artist career in retrospect.