1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows Book Club
Oct. 21 | 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Creative Lounge
Reserve free tickets here
Join us for a discussion of Ai Weiwei's 1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows, presented in partnership with the Metropolitan Library System. This discussion, led by Senior Director of Curatorial Affairs Carina Evangelista, will center around themes of art and resistance.
Prepare for the book club by picking up a free copy of 1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows at our front desk or at any Metropolitan Library location. Interested in learning more about Ai Weiwei and the themes explored in the memoir? Check out other book club discussions in this series:
- Sept. 12 | Reading Memoirs | Belle Isle Library
- Sept. 27 | Chinese History | Capitol Hill Library
- Oct. 7 | Understanding and Appreciating the Art of Ai WeiWei | Choctaw Library
About 1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows
Once a close associate of Mao Zedong and the nation's most celebrated poet, Ai Weiwei's father, Ai Qing, was branded a rightist during the Cultural Revolution, and he and his family were banished to a desolate place known as "Little Siberia." Ai Weiwei recounts his childhood in exile, and his difficult decision to leave his family to study art in America, where he befriended Allen Ginsberg and was inspired by Andy Warhol and the artworks of Marcel Duchamp. He details his return to China and his rise to become an art world superstar and international human rights activist. The artist's sculptures and installations have been viewed by millions around the globe, but his political activism has long made him a target of the Chinese authorities, which culminated in months of secret detention without charge in 2011. At once ambitious and intimate, 1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows serves as a timely reminder of the urgent need to protect freedom of expression.
