Finger from the Ex-Votos Series by Ai Weiwei

Provenance:
Private Collection, New York

Exhibited:
"Ai Weiwei: RAIZ", OCA Museum, Ibirapuera Park, São Paulo, 20 October 2018-20 January 2019

Literature:
Rhea Nayyar, 'Take Ai Weiwei’s Finger Anywhere in the World,' "Hyperallergic", 16 March 2023 [online publication]

For the Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei, raising the middle finger is an act of defiance. This gesture has appeared in many of his series, including one of his most famous works, "Study of Perspective", produced between 1995 and 2017, in which he describes his use of a finger: “We often forget that we have a middle finger... Or even if we know we have a middle finger, we misuse it. I think it’s good to remember that this part of your body can point to something—an institution, or someone that resembles a power—to let them know, and let yourself know, that you exist.”

From the "Ex-Votos" series, completed in 2018, the sculpture was handcrafted in Juazeiro do Norte in Brazil by local artisans using traditional techniques based on the artist’s design.