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Ai Weiwei at the Royal Academy

— by Alyson Walsh

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Photo: Wallpaper

The Royal Academy has extended opening hours for the last four weeks of its Ai Weiwei exhibition. Late nights on Saturdays and then for the first time, ever, an entire weekend. Might not be so busy at 5am on a Sunday morning… Anyhow. I  like the way Ai Weiwei pulls lots of elements into his work: politics, history, reclaimed materials. His thought-provoking art tells a story. Straight, an installation of steel rods recovered from the remains of shoddily built schools, in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, is particularly moving. The metal rods, painstakingly knocked back into shape by hand, are accompanied by the names of 5000 dead children.

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Photo: Rebecca Reid

But there are things here that will bring a wry smile, like the wallpaper decorated with gold surveillance cameras, handcuffs and Twitter logos:

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The Ai Weiwei exhibition is ace. Book early, it’s going to be busy.

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The Royal Academy has extended opening hours for the last four weeks of its Ai Weiwei exhibition. Late nights on Saturdays and then for the first time, ever, an entire weekend.