Published by CIRCA on the occasion of Ai vs AI (2024), 81 Questions is a series of 81 hand-signed editions by Ai Weiwei. Screen printed by hand with an embossed layer and produced in editions of 81, each work presents one of the artist's philosophical provocations from an 81-day public enquiry into artificial intelligence, authority and the freedom to ask questions.
Developed during Ai Weiwei's first engagement with artificial intelligence as a creative counterpart, the project draws on two significant references: the Tiānwèn (The Heavenly Questions), a collection of questions written more than 2,300 years ago by the poet Qu Yuan, and the 81 days the artist spent detained in a Chinese prison. Appearing daily across CIRCA's global network of screens, each question explores humanity's place within a rapidly changing world shaped by accelerating technologies and competing systems of knowledge.
Composed using Ai Weiwei's distinctive LEGO-based visual language, every print combines a black pixelated typeface with an embossed baseplate pattern that merges digital aesthetics with artisanal craft. Produced as individual editions of just 81, the series transforms acts of questioning into physical objects, affirming the artist's belief that our freedom lies not in possessing answers, but in retaining the right to ask questions.
