Major artist and cultural phenomenon takes over the RA main galleries with brave, provocative and visionary works.

The RA's most recent single artist shows have seen some of the true greats of contemporary art animate our Main Galleries with unforgettable, powerful work. Hockney, Kapoor, Kiefer – you need to be a special artist to embrace the immensity of the historic spaces. Who better then to take up the challenge this autumn than Ai Weiwei, one of China’s most influential artists.

Ai became widely known in Britain after his sunflower seeds installation in Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall in 2010 but this is the first major institutional survey of his work ever held in the UK and it bridges over two decades of his extraordinary career.

Curated in collaboration with Ai Weiwei from his studio in Beijing, the RA presents some of his most important works from the time he returned to China from the US in 1993 right up to present day. Among new works created specifically for the galleries and courtyard are a number of large-scale installations, as well as works showcasing everything from marble and steel to tea and glass. 

With typical boldness, the chosen works explore a multitude of challenging themes, drawing on his own experience to comment on creative freedom, censorship and human rights, as well as examining contemporary Chinese art and society.

Until 13 December.