The Royal Academy of Arts has announced that Ai Weiwei and Per Kirkeby have been elected Honorary Members of the Royal Academy. Honorary Academicians are distinguished artists who are not resident in the UK. They do not take part in the governance of the RA and do not have voting rights. A maximum of two per year may be appointed by the RAs.
Ai Weiwei Hon RA
Widely considered to be one of the most significant cultural figures of his generation in China and internationally, Ai Weiwei (born Beijing 1957) successfully occupies multiple roles as a conceptual artist, architect, curator, designer, film-maker and publisher.
Ai Weiwei’s work has been widely exhibited internationally in solo and group exhibitions. Recent solo shows include The Unilever Series: Ai Weiwei, Turbine Hall, Tate Modern, London. A major public installation ‘Circle of Animals / Zodiac Heads’ is currently showing in New York and at Somerset House, London.
Per Kirkeby Hon RA
Born in Copenhagen, 1938, Per Kirkeby studied arctic geology at the University of Copenhagen before becoming involved with Copenhagen’s radical ExperimentalArtSchool and international Fluxus. As one of the most internationally acclaimed Danish artists working today, his oeuvre includes painting, drawing and work in various print-media, sculpture (in bronze and brick) writing and film.
Kirkeby’s works are represented in many public collections including Tate, London; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Museum of Modern Art, New York and Centre Pompidou, Paris. Recent solo exhibition have been held at Tate Modern, London and Museum Kunst Palast, Düsseldorf.
For information on the appointments go to www.royalacademy.org.uk
