✨ Brussels | Private Exhibition Tour & Discussion | Ai Weiwei’s First Major Retrospective in Belgium
Join us on 3 October for a private tour of Ai Weiwei’s first major retrospective in Belgium, presented by Patrick Derom Gallery.
What does it mean to challenge power through art? And what happens when an ancient object, a photograph, a LEGO sculpture or a monumental installation becomes a way of questioning the world around us?
Few contemporary artists have made the relationship between art, politics and personal history as visible as Ai Weiwei. For decades, he has used art not simply to represent the world, but to interrogate it — its systems of power, its official narratives, its treatment of individuals and the ways in which history is remembered.
This exhibition offers a rare opportunity to see that evolution across several decades and in one place.
What’s included:
🖼 Private viewing of Ai Weiwei’s retrospective
💬 Conversation around art, politics, memory and freedom
🎨 Encounter with iconic and recent works
About the Exhibition 🖼️
Patrick Derom Gallery brings together works spanning several decades of Ai Weiwei’s practice.
Among the highlights is Study of Perspective, his iconic photographic series from the 1990s, alongside Han Dynasty Urn with Coca-Cola Logo, where an ancient object becomes a sharp commentary on cultural heritage and contemporary consumer culture.
The retrospective also features more recent works, including LEGO compositions such as Illumination and the button based F.U.C.K.. Sculptures including Grapes and Strength, together with monumental installations such as Left Right Studio Material and Snake Ceiling, reveal the breadth of his practice.
Across these very different forms, a consistent thread emerges: an ongoing questioning of systems of power, cultural memory and individual freedom.
My take on the exhibition, by Art Gallivant :
What makes this retrospective especially interesting is how personal and political Ai Weiwei’s work can be at the same time. A photograph can become a comment on power. An ancient vase can raise questions about what we consider valuable. A LEGO work can tell a very serious story.
You don’t need to know everything about contemporary art to engage with his work. Much of it starts with familiar things and asks very direct questions:
What do we choose to remember?
Who decides what is important?
What happens when tradition meets the present?
And how much freedom do we really have to challenge the world around us?
These are some of the questions we will explore together during the private tour.
📍 Event Details
3 October
Patrick Derom Gallery, Brussels
Private exhibition tour
✨ Limited spots. Intimate group. Shared reflection.
Join us for an afternoon of art, conversation and a closer encounter with Ai Weiwei’s powerful dialogue between culture, politics and personal history.