Ai Weiwei has launched his first major solo exhibition in India at Nature Morte gallery in New Delhi, timed to coincide with the India Art Fair 2026. The show features a range of works spanning three decades, including his signature large-scale Lego compositions and porcelain sculptures. Notably, the artist debuted new pieces that engage specifically with Indian art history, reimagining works by modernists SH Raza and VS Gaitonde, as well as traditional Rajasthani Pichwai paintings, through his modular toy-brick medium.
This exhibition is significant as it marks the first sustained presentation of Ai Weiwei’s practice in India beyond the brief duration of an art fair. By incorporating Indian art-historical references alongside his well-known critiques of state power and global migration, Ai bridges his investigation of Chinese material culture with local traditions. The show highlights his ongoing strategy of using ordinary materials—like Lego, buttons, and earthenware—to challenge collective memory and examine how cultural symbols are absorbed into global systems of power.