Zodiac, a graphic memoir
By Ai Weiwei Illustrated by Gianluca Costantini with Elettra Stamboulis
I am pleased to announce the upcoming release of my new book, "Zodiac," scheduled for January 30th. This lengthy and exciting project, initiated in 2019 in collaboration with the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei and the screenwriter Elettra Stamboulis, is finally being published. The book will be available in all bookstores in the United States, England, Canada, and Australia, thanks to the prestigious Penguin Random House, which will distribute it under the Ten Speed Press label. I hope that this exceptional collaboration can bring our work to a broad audience, and that "Zodiac" will inspire and engage readers worldwide.
The first major presentation for the book launch will take place on January 23rd at 7:00 PM at The Town Hall in New York. Ai Weiwei will introduce the graphic novel alongside the writer and illustrator Mira Jacob. This event is organized by Pen America.
ABOUT ZODIAC
In this beautifully illustrated and deeply philosophical graphic memoir, legendary artist Ai Weiwei explores the connection between artistic expression and intellectual freedom through the lens of the Chinese zodiac.
As a child living in exile during the Cultural Revolution, Ai Weiwei often found himself with nothing to read but government-approved comic books. Although they were restricted by the confines of political propaganda, Ai Weiwei was struck by the artists’ ability to express their thoughts on art and humanity through graphic storytelling. Now, decades later, Ai Weiwei and Italian comic artist Gianluca Costantini present Zodiac, Ai Weiwei’s first graphic memoir.
Inspired by the twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac and their associated human characteristics, Ai Weiwei masterfully interweaves ancient Chinese folklore with stories of his life, family, and career. The narrative shifts back and forth through the years—at once in the past, present, and future—mirroring memory and our relationship to time. As readers delve deeper into the beautifully illustrated pages of Zodiac, they will find not only a personal history of Ai Weiwei and an examination of the sociopolitical climate in which he makes his art, but a philosophical exploration of what it means to find oneself through art and freedom of expression.
Contemplative and political, Zodiac will inspire readers to return again and again to Ai Weiwei’s musings on the relationship between art, time, and our shared humanity.
“The internationally renowned Chinese artist recalls a life of resistance and oppression . . . A welcome introduction to the life and work of an exemplary artist.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review | Continue
“Poignant, meditative . . . This is a sage and inventive embroidery of philosophy, family memoir, and cultural history.”—Publishers Weekly | Continue
Book Trailer
Drawings Gianluca Costantini
Video animation by Michele Febbraio
Deluxe Edition with Signed Art Print
This deluxe hardcover edition comes in a slipcase and includes an exclusive, limited-edition art print, signed by Ai Weiwei and stamped with gold foil.
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ABOUT AI WEIWEI
Ai Weiwei leads a diverse and prolific practice that encompasses sculptural installation, filmmaking, photography, ceramics, painting, writing, and social media. Born in Beijing, China, in 1957, he is a conceptual artist who fuses traditional craftsmanship and his Chinese heritage, moving freely between a variety of formal languages to reflect on contemporary geopolitical and sociopolitical conditions. Ai Weiwei’s work and life regularly interact and inform one another, often extending to his activism and advocacy for international human rights.
ABOUT GIANLUCA COSTANTINI
Gianluca Costantini is an Italian cartoonist, comic journalist, and activist. He has contributed to numerous publications and is the author of several graphic novels. He is well known for his drawing related to human rights campaigns all over the world. He collaborates with organizations such as the Committee to Protect Journalists, ActionAid, and SOS Méditerranée. In 2019, he received the Art and Human Rights Award from Amnesty International.
ABOUT ELETTRA STAMBOULIS
Elettra Stamboulis is a Greek Italian writer and art curator. She has written numerous graphic novels and comics articles that have published in many languages around the world. She specializes in reality-based comics and has curated European exhibitions of the work of Joe Sacco and Marjane Satrapi. As a curator, her work is dedicated to the promotion of artists at risk and she recently has curated exhibitions of work by Zehra Doğan, Badiucao, and Victoria Lomasko.
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Editor: Kaitlin Ketchum
Editorial assistant: Kausaur Fahimuddin
Designer: Chloe Rawlins | Co-designer: Meggie Ramm
Cover artist: Ai Weiwei | Interior artist: Gianluca Costantini
Production manager: Dan Myres
Proofreader: Kate Bolen
Ai Weiwei Studio: Yun-hua Chen, Cui Xing, Jennifer Ng, Nadine Stenke, Kimberly Sung, Chin-chin Yap, Fart Foundation.