We are very very excited to announce that our online shop is officially opened!
If you would like to get to know our products, be sure to come over to our physical store!
We are very very excited to announce that our online shop is officially opened!
If you would like to get to know our products, be sure to come over to our physical store!
Ai Weiwei will release an exclusive new time-limited silkscreen print edition on avantarte.com for 24 hours only based on a new work, Guardian by the artist
Guardian, 2024 will be available to all for €650.00/ approx. $700.00 on avantarte.com from 3:00pm GMT/ 10:00am ET on 15 February 2024
Guardian sees Ai Weiwei in the role of a traditional Chinese Divine Guardian, a figure that is displayed in homes around Lunar New Year to bring good fortune
To welcome in the Year of the Dragon, Avant Arte has collaborated with The Steam Room to display Guardian between 6-16 February
6 February 2024: Avant Arte, the curated marketplace that makes discovering and owning art radically more accessible, is proud to announce its latest collaboration with acclaimed contemporary artist Ai Weiwei. Together, they unveil Guardian, a new time-limited print edition. The print will be available for just 24 hours on avantarte.com, starting at 3:00PM GMT / 10AM ET on 15 February 2024, priced at €650.00/ approx. $700.00 with free worldwide shipping. Guardian, is a new work by Ai Weiwei featuring the artist in the role of Divine Guardian or Door God (门神) - a symbol of good fortune and protection that is traditionally affixed to doors during festive periods in China. The Divine Guardian holds potent safeguarding powers and is meant to ward off negative influences to ensure inhabitants comfort and well-being. Traditionally, it is customary for every household to display a Divine Guardian portrait before the Lunar New Year to symbolise an aspiration for social stability and family prosperity in the year to come.
Weiwei’s Guardian layers the traditional figure of the Divine Guardian and traditional Chinese symbolism with a multitude of his own artistic motifs and recurring symbols that refer to key themes he explores in his practice from surveillance to free speech and specific moments in time including his secret detention by Chinese authorities in 2011 and his Tate Modern Sunflower Seeds installation in 2010.
To celebrate the Lunar New Year and offer art lovers the chance to see the work in person, Avant Arte has partnered with The Steam Room in Haggerston, East London, a dry cleaning and lifestyle store run by its second generation British-Chinese owner Tony Chung to display the work from 6-16 February 2024. The Steam Room is beloved by many of London’s most prominent fashion brands including Roksanda and Henry Holland and lies at the heart of East London’s creative community not far from Avant Arte’s London base. It has a long history in the area, having first been established as a Chinese takeaway by Tony’s father in the 1970s before becoming The Steam Room in 2004 when Tony took over the business. In recent years, it has become known for its vibrant Lunar New Year displays celebrating Asian artists however this year they were unable to plan one and so Avant Arte suggested displaying Weiwei’s Guardian to welcome the new year and continue the tradition. The work will be displayed in the window on The Steam Room by the entrance as a traditional Divine Guardian would be shown and there is a special surprise for fans that go down to see the work there.
Tony Chung, founder of The Steam Room, said: “We are thrilled to partner with Avant Arte for this year’s Lunar New Year installation. I’m a product designer by trade so creativity lies at the heart of everything we do at The Steam Room from the fashion designers whose clothes we care for to the artists and makers we support through our displays. Most years, we like to do a dedicated Lunar New Year display celebrating Asian artists. They’ve become loved by the local community but this year we didn’t think we’d have time to make it happen as we’ve been so busy. I couldn’t be happier that to collaborate with the Avant Arte team to show this spectacular new work by the great Ai Weiwei for the first time and to bring in the New Year. I hope everyone enjoys getting to see it as they walk past or visit us!”
The print is offered as part of Avant Arte’s ongoing time-limited edition programme which aims to open up access for art lovers and collectors to acquire the work of leading contemporary artists in a more accessible format. Since starting its time-limited edition programme in 2021, Avant Arte has helped over 11,000 people start collecting art for the first time. Artists from the programme include Barry McGee, Nina Chanel Abney, Gregory Crewdson, José Parlá,and Elizabeth Peyton. Follow Avant Arte on social media for the latest news and behind-the-scenes insights.
