Ai Weiwei is probably one of the most controversial artists of the past 5 decades.
Notorious for his activism and his outspoken criticism to the Chinese government - which has caused him to be arrested several times-, this notoriety has expanded to his art and has underscored its relevance in contemporary art.
For this reason, the Museum of 21st century Art, MAXXI, has organized its first major exhibition entirely dedicated to the work of this famous artist at its branch in L'Aquila.
Originally based in Rome, MAXXI's branch in L'Aquila is located at the historical Palazzo Ardinghelli, as part of an effort of several cultural institutions to position this city as a cultural pole close to the capital, an effort which reached an important milestone when L'Aquila was declared Cultural Capital of Italy 2026.
The exhibition's name, "Aftershock", and its core concept are closely related to a city which has suffered devastating earthquakes throughout its history.
The very topic of earthquakes was avoided by the city and the Museum for long, as a show of respect for the victims of the 2009 earthquake and their families.
However, even in his address during the exhibition's opening, Weiwei declared that, "it's very important to exhibit it in a city that shared an experience similar to that of Sichuan, so that both can dialogue with the process of reconstruction that characterized L'Aquila itself."
In this sense, the fact that this show is hosted in a building badly damaged by the devastating earthquake of 2009 (and now fully restored) is no coincidence and allows poignant echoes to Weiwei's narrative discourse.
Visitors entering the Museum will be greeted by Weiwei's installation "Camouflage nets" (2025) displayed in the inner courtyard, but most of the "Aftershock" exhibition takes place on the upper floor of the Palazzo, threading across several interconnected rooms.
This particular setting creates a narrative sequence in which the audience follows a journey through a collection of Ai Weiwei's works and his different forms of artistic expression through the years, from photographs to videos, installations, performances, and sculptures.
The main installation, and the starting point of this exhibition, is "Straight" (2008-2012), Ai Weiwei's homage to the victims of the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan, which cost the lives of thousands, most of them children.
The first room is flooded with the first of several waves of steel rods (150 tons of them), which flows across three rooms.
The steel rods are old and rusty and, due to their disposition, not only they remind us of tectonic plaques and the physical, social, and emotional ruptures caused by earthquakes, but they are also a protest against the poor construction quality of the schools and buildings in which the victims perished.
The names of more than five thousand of these victims form part of this installation and are displayed on the large white wall, and on a black video screen at the end of the installation.
The fact that all the windows in these rooms are open towards the piazza is no coincidence. "Aftershock" is meant to create a dialogue with the city - a dialogue of shared wounds but also of shared resilience.
Afterwards, every room in the "Aftershock" exhibition is like a little tremor that echoes the impact of this first piece.
The victims of the Sichuan earthquake are remembered again with "Rebar and Case" (2014), a group of four oddly shaped coffins in direct dialogue with a panel about death.
A twisted steel rod, this time crafted in marble, placed over one of the coffins connects it directly to "Straight" and its protest.
The next room provides a brief break from this topic, showcasing three long films shot by Weiwei in China to document the passing of time and the inexorability of change in the city.
The subject is also addressed in a group of black and white photographs taken by Weiwei in New York between 1983 to 1993, which are displayed in the outer corridor connecting the rooms.
The topic of shattering is echoed once more in the following room, displaying "Left Right Studio" and "Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn" (1995), in which Weiwei makes veiled protests against Chinese repression.
This artwork resembles a tapestry, but on a closer inspection we notice that it's neither a painting nor a textile, but three large panels built with individual LEGO pieces, a material favored by Ai Weiwei as a symbolic protest against mass production.
Such creations are found all across the exhibit, reproducing a variety of images, from well-known masterpieces to photographs. In many, Weiwei portrays or inserts himself in them, as a form of protest against the establishment.
The exhibition continues with artworks addressing other topics, although none of them less jarring.
The next room examines the influence of Marcel Duchamp's readymades on the work of Weiwei, with a selection of everyday objects linked to the experiences of the Chinese artist, crafted in unlikely materials.
Handcuffs, clothes hangers, a roll of toilet paper and a takeout food box - Ai Weiwei plays with everyday objects, their roles, and the meanings we associate with them.
When crafted in different materials with an associated meaning of their own, these roles and meanings are lost, forcing us to look at these objects with a different perspective.
The generous texts displayed on the walls of every room -in Italian and English - help the visitor understand these implications.
Dominating the next room, "Small Black Chandelier" 2017 hangs ominously from the ceiling, made from a collection of human bones and body parts. The black Murano glass of the pieces absorbs light instead of reflecting it, defying its original purpose.
This Memento Mori in displayed in direct dialogue with Weiwei's brightly colored LEGO reproductions of Munch's "The Scream" (2020", Van Gogh's self-portrait after cutting off his ear, and Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring" (2022) staring from the adjacent walls.
The contrast between these pieces creates a strong dialogue that invites us to reflect upon life and death.
The repetition of small elements as a construction material - such as the LEGO bricks - is also present in the form of buttons, which appear in Ai Weiwei's tapestries and installations with repurposed military jackets such as "Five Camouflage Military-Style Jackets Arranged in a Circle and Sewn with Buttons" (2025), and "Cat-Motif Camouflage Jacket with Butons Arranged in the Shape of Flowers" (2025).
Interestingly, some of the pieces in this exhibition are smaller versions of Ai Weiwei's monumental works currently on exhibition at the
Button Up! exhibition in Manchester, United Kingdom.
As an artist with an acute interest in humanity and the happenings all around the globe, the work of Ai Weiwei explores themes such as war, Covid, migrants, refugees, change, our concept of reality, the fate of the weak and forgotten, and the whitewashing of culture, among others, offering a new perspective from which to address and analyze these universal issues.
Using visual metaphors, juxtaposition, irony, everyday cultural elements, and easily recognizable iconography, Ai Weiwei explores global topics, posing questions and challenging how we should look at the world around us.
While Ai Weiwei's art is rooted in his own personal experience, his works and installations create dialogues that have universal resonance thanks to the topics addresses and how he chooses to present them: forms of social repression, freedom of expression, what is real, the impact of man-made conflicts and tragedies, and more.
Curated by the director of the Design Museum of London, Tim Marlow, "Aftershock" is a sort of a retrospective of Ai Weiwei's work in his 50 years of artistic career, the subjects he has tackled, and the variety of media he has used to express his vision.
Some of the intended messages of the artworks may not be evident or in plain sight, so it's a good idea to take a guided tour, if you can. This will greatly enhance the enjoyment of your visit to this exhibition and increase your appreciation of Ai Weiwei's work.
To Learn More
Event: Ai Weiwei Aftershock
Location: MAXII Museum L'Aquila
Address: Piazza Santa Maria Paganica 15, L'Aquila.
Dates: April 29th - September 6th, 2026.
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