Ai Weiwei hails Manchester's 'amazing' culture as major new exhibition opens at Aviva Studios

Acclaimed artist Ai Weiwei has hailed Manchester for "achieving something amazing" by creating Aviva Studios, as he launches a major new exhibition exploring war, global relationships and political history.

The Chinese activist, best known for designing the "bird's nest" stadium for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, said: "I've never experienced a similar space in my life and that was a challenge, so I studied the history of Manchester, including its role as the world's first industrial city."

He added: "I never dreamed I would come to Manchester but this city has openness and ambition when it comes to promoting art and culture. It's really admirable."

What is in the exhibition?

Ai Weiwei: Button Up! features a series of large-scale political sculptures at the £240 million arts centre. The centrepiece is a giant 160ft inflatable black dinghy carrying dozens of dummy figures representing refugees.

Eight imperial flags, made from four million buttons, represent the countries that invaded China in response to the Boxer Rebellion, an uprising between 1899 and 1901 that sought to purge the country of foreign merchants and missionaries.

A giant mural called History of Bombs was built using 3.5 million Lego bricks. A Ming dynasty timber-framed great hall has been reassembled to symbolise the greatness of Chinese history.

To mark the launch, Ai Weiwei will take part in a performance piece recreating his 81-day detention by the Chinese authorities in 2011. He said he wanted people to consider what it meant to live in a time when the world was "deeply divided, with tragedy all around."

He added: "Understanding history goes hand in hand with standing up for truth and justice."

How did this come together?

Factory International began negotiations to bring the exhibition to Manchester four years ago, before Aviva Studios had opened. Creative director Low Kee Hong said Ai Weiwei first visited when the venue "was still under construction and he was really taken by the monumental scale of the building."

Chief executive John McGrath said: "Everyone's going to walk in here and just go 'wow', because there are so many beautiful things here which tell us so much about Chinese and European history. We've got visitors from across the world, as well as from Manchester, coming to see this show."