Ai Weiwei has never been one to shy away from making noise, but his latest exhibition, Button Up!, at Manchester’s Aviva Studios is a full-blown siren. Running from July 4 to September 6, 2026, the expansive show presents a staggering critique of colonial history, systemic warfare, and the devastating global migrant crisis. As a “total environment,” it brings the darkest corners of human history straight into the spotlight.
Upon entry, visitors are hit with profound visual weight. The Eight-Nation Alliance Flags stretch across the ceiling, constructed from millions of salvaged buttons from an English factory. They represent the eight empires that brutally invaded Qing-dynasty China at the turn of the 20th century. By intertwining these historical symbols with the remnants of the British industrial revolution, Ai delivers a sharp commentary on how trade, capitalism, and imperial greed have fundamentally shaped the modern world.
The show pulls no punches when addressing the horrific cost of these global power struggles. The massive Law of the Journey installation—a 160-foot inflatable dinghy brimming with faceless figures—dominates the space, serving as an impossible-to-ignore monument to the ongoing refugee crisis. It’s placed near History of Bombs, a massive 25-meter wall of weapons of mass destruction created entirely out of Lego bricks. The juxtaposition is deliberate: it draws an unmissable, blood-red line between the industrialization of war and the mass displacement of innocent people.
Another profound anchor in the exhibition is the Wang Family Ancestral Hall, a reassembled Ming dynasty temple saved from ruin. Resting near a towering black glass chandelier fashioned entirely of skeletons, it stands as a haunting reminder of lost heritage and the enduring scars of history.
Button Up! is an urgent reckoning. Ai Weiwei turns everyday tragedies into monumental spectacles, demanding that we confront the violent, colonial foundations of our modern crises before history repeats itself yet again.
Cover image via Wallpaper Magazine.
