#AiWeiwei

I came to this show completely unaware of what to expect. As I entered the gallery I came across this enormous wall of Ai Wei Wei, taking a selfie in a packed elevator. That’s when I figured out I was in for a good time. Ai Wei Wei is a Chinese artist that creates work that talks about society and political issues that are going on here in the US, as well as in other countries, like his native China. Ai Wei Wei’s father, Ai Qing, was a was persecuted for being a “rightist” and speaking in favor of capitalism. His family was exiled and forced to live in the worst conditions until the death of Mao in 1976. After attending a film academy, he moved to New York City. He started using photography, sculpture and other media in order to document his life while at the same time using it to speak about problems that he sees going on around him.

Ai Wei Wei can be described as “internet famous,” as his hashtag #aiweiwei is very popular online. He has million of visits to his social media, which he uses to his advantage to bring awareness to many issues that he faces, as well as many injustices around him.

“If photography can be considered art, then it must necessarily be a scattering of art’s inherent qualities, an innocent pressing of the shutter, a lie in the face of reality. In that moment of recording, the world that it faces dissolves like smoke.”             

As I walked into the exhibit I saw a wall dedicated to Ai Wei Wei taking pictures of undercover officers and agents, that were surveilling him at his home and at restaurants. Throughout the show, there is a theme of being watched, surveillance and documentation of moments in time. Ai Wei Wei talks about how everyone is always surveilled in China to keep people in order, and talks about people act when they know they are being watched.

We also take a look at pictures of Ai Wei Wei interacting with refugees. Wei Wei being a refugee himself, knows first hand the displacement and the hard times. He visited over 40 refugee camps and took thousands of pictures, allowing the viewer to see the side of the camps that the traditional media does not cover, and also shows the overwhelming amount of suffering and uncertainty that these people face on a daily basis.

Visual protest is what makes Ai Wei Wei’s work so strong. The messages are loud and clear. He is an activist that makes a statement that speak for itself. “The Study of Perspectives”(above) is a great example of how he shows how there is problems with human rights all over the globe, by giving the finger to some of the worlds most powerful landmarks.

The use of social media and viewer interaction is something that makes the experience of a Wei Wei show even more interesting. This era has really expanded his platform and his message as we can see how people responded to the Leg Gun exhibit,  where thousands of people mimicked his pose of him holding out his leg like a gun. (below)

This was a really cool exhibit because it shows a new generation of artist. It shows how social media can spread information like a wildfire and how the world is full of surveillance, crisis, and police state. Resistance is necessary.  We live in a time where we are constantly bombarded with thousands of images and information. Ai Wei Wei wants us to open our eyes and take action.

This show is open from Apr 13 — Jul 2, 2017