Ai Weiwei's Turandot - Maxim Derevianko

For his first opera staging, Ai Weiwei revisits Puccini’s Turandot through a contemporary lens.

Commissioned by the Rome Opera, this documentary follows the creative process of artist Ai Weiwei in collaboration with choreographer and longtime friend Chiang Ching. The production develops in constant dialogue with the outside world: war, the pandemic and displacement resonate throughout the opera, highlighting its continued relevance more than a century after its creation.

Ai Weiwei’s Turandot thus goes beyond a simple reinterpretation of a classic to address themes that echo the journey of the Chinese artist, marked by exile, resistance, and an unwavering commitment to artistic and political freedom.

The film is programmed in the framework of Bozar's invitation to Ai Weiwei.