Ai Weiwei Stages 24-Hour Detention Reenactment and Major Exhibition at Manchester's Aviva Studios

Factory International presents two major projects by Ai Weiwei at Aviva Studios in Manchester this summer. The centerpiece is 'Sewing a Button,' a 24-hour live performance marking the 15th anniversary of the artist's 2011 secret detention by Chinese authorities. This marks the first time Ai has revisited that experience through reenactment. Audiences witness the artist's daily routines under surveillance, with CCTV cameras broadcasting footage throughout the building. Running concurrently is the exhibition 'Ai Weiwei: Button Up!' in the Warehouse at Aviva Studios, described as monumental in scale and ambition. It features new commissions including 'Eight-Nation Alliance Flags,' composed of half a million buttons, and 'History of Bombs,' using over a million toy bricks. The exhibition also includes rarely seen UK works like 'Law of the Journey' (2017), a 47-meter inflatable vessel addressing the refugee crisis, 'Wang Family Ancestral Hall' (2015) reconstructed from Ming dynasty fragments, 'La Commedia Umana' (2017–21), a Murano glass chandelier, and 'Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads' (2010). The programming extends beyond gallery spaces with a temporary Chinese tearoom and talks and workshops. Factory International, building on the Manchester International Festival legacy, has become a leading UK cultural institution known for ambitious commissions. The performance 'Sewing a Button' runs July 3-4, 2026.