--- ---  # Chinese Artist Ai Weiwei to Showcase 176 Lego Portraits at Alcatraz > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with Ally. Ally is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: July 2026. ## Ally: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Ally is a digital financial services company offering online-only banking, including checking and savings accounts, through Ally.com and its mobile apps. Launched in 2009 as an original disruptor in financial services, Ally was built to challenge outdated banking norms with a simpler, more convenient way to bank. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. by [Rishi Iyengar](https://time.com/author/rishi-iyengar/) ## Rishi Iyengar Sep 19, 2014 5:28 AM UTC  Chinese contemporary artist Ai Weiwei is photographed inside his studio in Beijing on June 16, 2014 Chinese contemporary artist Ai Weiwei is photographed inside his studio in Beijing on June 16, 2014Zachary Bako—The Washington Post/Getty Images by [Rishi Iyengar](https://time.com/author/rishi-iyengar/) ## Rishi Iyengar Sep 19, 2014 5:28 AM UTC Renowned Chinese artist Ai Weiwei’s new[ installation](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/21/arts/design/ai-weiwei-takes-his-work-to-a-prison.html?smid=tw-nytimes&%5Fr=1) will be unveiled later this month, in possibly one of the last places you’d associate with art: Alcatraz. The former prison island and current tourist attraction off San Francisco will play host to Ai’s latest project from Sept. 27, the New York _Times_ reports. The installation, dubbed _Trace_, is part of a seven-month exhibition called “@Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz” and will feature 176 portraits of current and former political prisoners and exiles made out of 1.2 million Lego bricks. The portraits will include NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden, Tibetan pop singer Lolo and the late South African leader Nelson Mandela, but will mostly feature less prominent people in global struggles for freedom — people Ai says have been “forgotten by society.” The artist himself falls into the same category of freedom fighters, having been previously incarcerated for 81 days in 2011 and currently unable to leave China after having his passport confiscated, but he chose not to include himself in the project. The exhibition is being organized by For-Site, a San Francisco–based group that produces public art, and has been conceptualized and coordinated by Ai remotely. \[[_NYT_](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/21/arts/design/ai-weiwei-takes-his-work-to-a-prison.html?smid=tw-nytimes&%5Fr=1)\] Artist Ai Weiwei to Showcase 176 Lego Portraits at Alcatraz ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3400547/chinese-artist-ai-weiwei-to-showcase-176-lego-portraits-at-alcatraz/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3400547/chinese-artist-ai-weiwei-to-showcase-176-lego-portraits-at-alcatraz/"},"headline":"Chinese Artist Ai Weiwei to Showcase 176 Lego Portraits at Alcatraz","datePublished":"2014-09-19T05:28:58.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T10:17:46.985Z","description":"The installation will feature a total of 1.2 million Lego pieces","url":"https://time.com/3400547/chinese-artist-ai-weiwei-to-showcase-176-lego-portraits-at-alcatraz/","keywords":["Fine Art","China","Ai Weiwei","Prison","Legos"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte34d98978c44c704/6986a44acd804d39c6cccdd0/artist_ai_weiwei.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Rishi Iyengar","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/rishi-iyengar/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte34d98978c44c704/6986a44acd804d39c6cccdd0/artist_ai_weiwei.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Chinese Contemporary Artist Ai Weiwei At His Studio In Beijing, China","caption":"Chinese Contemporary Artist Ai Weiwei At His Studio In Beijing, China","creditText":"Zachary Bako—The Washington Post/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/fine-art/","name":"Fine Art"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3400547/chinese-artist-ai-weiwei-to-showcase-176-lego-portraits-at-alcatraz/","name":"Chinese Artist Ai Weiwei to Showcase 176 Lego Portraits at Alcatraz"}}]}] ```