The last stop on embattled Chinese artist Ai Weiwei's North American tour at the Brooklyn Museum has been retooled for its host borough: it’s bigger, better, and now includes one piece that’s never been seen in the U.S.  The massive exhibition “Ai Weiwei: According to What?” which opens Friday, now features two major pieces, including "S.A.C.R.E.D.," a collection of six dioramas depicting the artist's 81-day incarceration in 2011.  Not only is it Ai's first major work since his release, it's the first time the artist’s recreated prison cell has been shown in this country.  "(Ai) invested a lot personally to make this the best leg of the exhibition," says curator Sharon Matt Atkins said.  Ai will be also debuting "Ye Haiyan" (2013), a collection of boxes and personal effects named after the Chinese women's rights activist who was evicted by the repressive regime for supporting equal rights for sex workers and AIDS victims.  "It speaks to the fact that these women have to struggle to get proper healthcare," Atkins explained of the work. "The (secret police) told her not to come back — and that they'd hurt her if she did."  Perhaps the most moving — and certainly the largest — piece of the exhibit is "Straight," a rippling wave of rebar poles taken from the site of a deadly 2008 earthquake that killed nearly 6,000 Chinese students. Ai blames the deaths on shoddy construction — and the piece is an effective demonstration of that.  The rolling bars are impressive on their own, Atkins noted, but become even more meaningful once spectators see the deep-rooted significance — and the size. The proportions of the piece were nearly doubled, from 38 tons of rebar at other museums on the tour, to 73 tons at the Brooklyn Museum.  Also included in the collection are a few well-known pieces, like "Colored Vases" (2007-2010), the Neolithic jugs from 5,000 B.C. that Ai dipped in industrial paint — the better to challenge the notion of the significance of history, Atkins says.  Similarly, there are plenty of shots of the artist's famous "Bird's Nest" stadium, used during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Ai was selected to design the arena as a point of national pride, but he later said in interviews that the stadium was merely propaganda by the Chinese government "to advertise its glory to the world."  The dissent with Chinese authorities eventually led to Ai's incarceration for alleged tax fraud — but museumgoers get the reward for his jail sentence in the form of the gripping piece, "S.A.C.R.E.D."  Atkins herself traveled to Beijing to plan the exhibition directly with Ai, who can’t leave the country because Chinese authorities have seized his passport.  Museum workers were busy putting the finishing touches on the exhibition Wednesday afternoon, carefully installing more than 700 steel bicycles, entitled "Stacked," inside the entrance. This piece, Atkins says, is one of Ai's more playful works celebrating his "fond memories of riding a bike" but also commenting on the rise of the auto industry, and the fight for road space for bicycle riders.  There's also plenty of New York ephemera.  Ai lived in Williamsburg in the 1980s, and credits New York for inspiring him to create art, helping him find his voice, and exposing him to the works of Jasper Johns, Andy Warhol and others.  The artist returned to Beijing in 1993 after his father became ill, and plugged himself into the city’s diverse contemporary art scene. He built his studio outside of Beijing in 1999, a space that allowed his creativity – and the scope of his projects – to flourish.  However, Ai's work is not always somber or politically charged. The exhibition ends with "258 Fake," the address of his studio in Beijing. It consists of an endless loop of more than 7,000 photographs, including pictures of Ai eating watermelon and selfies with his cats.  "You get a sense of his humor," Atkins says. "He's got such powerful works, but there's still very much a playful spirit, which is pretty remarkable."  "Ai Weiwei: According to What?" at the Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway at Washington Ave., 718-638-5000, April 18-Aug. 10. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Advanced tickets available at BrooklynMuseum.org.
The Daily News got the first look at controversial and outspoken Chinese artist’s showcase, ‘Ai Weiwei: According to What?’ which opens Friday at the Brooklyn Museum and features 13,000 square feet of political and playful works of art.