The art world was delighted to see on Instagram on Wednesday morning, 22 July, a snap of the Chinese artist-activist Ai Weiwei proudly brandishing a People’s Republic of China passport with the caption “Today I got my passport”. The news comes just eight weeks before the artist's solo show at the Royal Academy of Arts (RA), which issued a jubilant statement confirming that Ai will be "travelling to London for his landmark exhibition". Tim Marlow, the RA's artistic director says: "We are delighted to announce that he will be joining us as we finalise the installation of his exhibition." The artist had his passport confiscated when he was detained in Beijing in 2011. The RA show opens on 19 September.
