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 Communist 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 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'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 yearsat once in the past, present, and futuremirroring 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 Weiweiand modern Chinabut a philosophical exploration of what it means to find oneself through art and freedom of expression.

Contemplative and political, readers will find themselves returning again and again to Ai Weiwei's musings on the relationship between art, time, and our shared humanity.

Ai Weiwei is one of the world's most important living artists. His political activism has long made him a target of the Chinese authorities, culminating in months of secret detention without charge in 2011. He is the recipient of numerous human rights awards, including the Václav Havel Prize for Creative Dissent and Amnesty International's Ambassador of Conscience Award. He is the author

Gianluca Costantini is an Italian cartoonist, comic journalist, and activist. He has contributed to numerous publications, including CNN, France's Le Monde, Italy's Internazionale, and Words Without Borders, and is a long-time collaborator with Amnesty International, ActionAid International, and Oxfam. In 2019, he received the Art and Human Rights Award from Amnesty International.