Ai Weiwei Launches Brooklyn Show from Afar
April 17, 2014---Persecuted Chinese artist Ai Weiwei is opening a new exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum on
April 18.
But prior to an 81-day detention by Chinese authorities in 2011, Ai's
passport was confiscated, and he cannot travel to coordinate or even see
his own exhibit. The Brooklyn show includes "Sacred," a depiction of
his incarceration in six dioramas, in its first North American
appearance.
National Geographic met and spoke with Ai in Beijing where he lives.
Transcript
Ai Weiwei, Chinese Contemporary Artist
To set up a show far away is a challenge. So we have teams from our studio to make sure everything is set up accordingly.
Not being able to leave tells you who is in charge and how vulnerable your life can be. It
always reminders you you can always be arrested or disappeared.
Sharon Matt Atkins, Managing Curator of Exhibitions, Brooklyn Museum
The major challenge, is that he doesn't have his passport and that he has this major
exhibition here that will be seen by thousands of people except for Ai Weiwei.
One of the challenges is in some cases, just the scale.
Sacred, that's a work of 6 boxes that each weigh about 4,0005,000 pounds and you start thinking what are the shipping arrangements that need to be made, what are the costs,
logistical challenges of installation, of getting them into the building, into their location, that took a number of rounds of revisions throughout the process.
Ai Weiwei, Chinese Contemporary Artist
I lived in New York for 10 years and I think this is a very unique opportunity for me to have the chance to come back to New York. I can never imagine when I was in New York I could have a show in any building but now today I have the chance to show my work there. I'm very happy about it.
I was not becoming political, I was born political. I'm living in a very political state, every
expression has to be examined or it can bring you great trouble for your life.
To try not to become political in this kind of society is also a very political act.
Not to be concious or not aware what's happening, so I don't think anybody in this kind of society can avoid to become political.
In every show I try to put in new works.
Sharon Matt Atkins, Managing Curator of Exhibitions, Brooklyn Museum
The installation about Ye Haiyan, who is a woman's rights activist came about because
she was targeted by authorities and was packed up with all of her belongings and left by
the side of the road.
Ai Weiwei, Chinese Contemporary Artist
I was worried and very deeply touched so I told her to send everything to my studio. At the beginning, I don't know what to do with it. We just opened every box and photographed over one thousand items. So we decide to post it as a mural, in the museum walls and also put all the items in the center of the room, to tell this story.
What kind of society cannot tolerate a lady which put her life in risk to help people who has no rights.
I try to use my experience and my knowledge to help those people who has no voice, and to make some kind of testimony about how to live under this kind of power and regieme.
Sharon Matt Atkins, Managing Curator of Exhibitions, Brooklyn Museum
I went to the exhibition with my six year old. And a year later, I told him I was going to visit Ai Weiwei and he remembered his name and he remembered that exhibition, and said, oh, yeah, he's the artist who did that piece about the children who died. And that was something that even as a five year old, he understood the importance of that and the story that that was telling and the message that that was sending.
