Ai Weiwei
Biennial

The 8th edition of CONTEXTILE, the Biennial of Contemporary Textile Art , has announced Ai Weiwei as this year's featured artist.  Taking place in the Guimarães region in Portugal, CONTEXTILE is an international cultural and artistic event featuring exhibitions, artistic residencies, and extensive programming. The theme for this year's Biennial, By a Thread, proposes a reflection on the current times – marked by environmental, social and economic crises – and calls on art as a tool for resistance, care and the construction of new futures. As featured artist, Ai Weiwei produced three new artworks, Camouflage, Net, and Bedding, presented in various spaces around the city, reflecting the biennial’s thematic concept.

Camouflage is a large-scale site-specific installation presented in the outdoor area of the PAC – Plataforma das Artes e Criatividade. The installation was first presented in 2025 at the Four Freedoms State Park. For CONTEXTILE, the installation's expansive fabric has been reconfigured for the site. The second installation, NET, is located at the Tanques de Couros, installed within the historic tanning tanks of Guimarães. NET is composed of tall bamboo poles suspending layers of nets. The final installation, Bedding, is part of the  exhibition titled  FABRICATION, placed in the indoor space of the Centro Internacional das Artes José de Guimarães, holding several works by Ai Weiwei.

Learn more at contextile.pt.