Ai Weiwei: Button Up!
4 July- 6 September 2026
In Ai Weiwei: Button Up!, at Manchester’s Factory International,the artist turns his lens on two centuries of Chinese and British relations. Taking inspiration from Manchester, a city at the heart of the Industrial Revolution, Button Up! explores how historic systems of trade, empire and exploitation resonate in today’s humanitarian and political crises.
Conceived as a total environment, Ai Weiwei: Button Up! brings together new and existing large-scale works on display in the UK for the first time. The monumental installation features porcelain, cotton, glass, bronze and even buttons and toy bricks. Each material contains a story of human invention and consumption. Together, they paint a picture of globalisation.
Further information:
- Location: The Warehouse, Aviva Studios, Water Street, Manchester, M3 4JQ
- Opening times: Tuesdays – Wednesday and Fridays – Sundays, 10am – 5.00 pm; Thursdays 1.00 am – 8.00 pm
- Tickets cost: Standard: £21.50 & £23.50; Children 3 – 11 FREE, Children 12 – 18 50% discount Concessions available including Aviva £10 Tickets
