Cao / Humanity is a new exhibition by the acclaimed Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei, which is in tandem with two other Los Angeles exhibitions. This marks an exciting milestone for both Ai and the city of Los Angeles, where he is exhibiting for the first time. Having designed the new UTA Artist Space location in Beverly Hills, Ai’s Cao / Humanity offers a one-of-a-kind experience for visitors—an expansive celebration of his artistic practice in a space he himself designed, the only architectural project he’s undertaken in the United States.

Central to the exhibition is a new collective performance project by Ai Weiwei: Humanity. This global campaign is a reaction to the tens of millions displaced by war, famine and climate crises, and gives a personal and group voice in support of the idea that humanity is one. 

Cao presents a wide range of his work, from the iconic middle finger motif wallpapered through the space and the glass sculpture Up Yours(2018), to the massive Iron Tree Trunk (2015), a collection of individual pieces welded together into a deceptively life-like form, weighs nearly two tons. CAO/Humanity is on view through December 1, 2018 at UTA Artist Space 403 Foothill Road, Beverly Hills. photographs by Oliver Maxwell Kupper