BROOKLYN MUSEUM of ART
Exhibit - Ai Wei Wei, According to What?
Artist Overview:
Chinese artist Ai Wei Wei explores complex and difficult topics, such as national identity, cultural heritage and expressions of the self. Ai Wei Wei's work includes photography, sculpture and architecture - the artist is perhaps most well known for his collaborative work with Herzog & de Meuron on the 2008 Beijing Olympic National Stadium. Often referred to as the "Birds Next," the stadium consists of steel beams designed to hide a retractable roof (which was eventually removed from the structure). However, Ai Wei Wei's particular notoriety lies in his critique of the Chinese government and their policies on freedom of expression and human rights. Possibly responding to such criticism, the Chinese Government in 2011 arrested Ai Wei Wei at the Beijing International Airport. The artist was held for 81 days - no charges were filed, apart for alleged "economic crimes." Ai Wei Wei would eventually transform his experience in captivity into an interactive installation, S.A.C.R.E.D. |
Highlighted Work:
S.A.C.R.E.D. In 2011 the Chinese Government imprisoned AI Wei Wei for 81 days. S.A.C.R.E.D consists of six dioramas recounting pivotal moments during imprisonment, such as being led into his cell, undergoing interrogation, eating and sleeping, bathing and using the restroom, all while being watched by 2 guards. The title S.A.C.R.E.D can be interpreted in numerous ways; it is an acronym - each letter refers to the subtitles of the six dioramas (Supper, Accusers, Cleansing, Risual, Entropy and Doubt). The subtitles can also be interpreted as references to the life of Christ and the Stations of the Cross. Of course, the word "Sacred" is itself a religious word. By describing his harrowing experience as "Sacred." Ai Wei Wei transforms what might have been a purely traumatic experience into a meaningful and perhaps even fruitful one. In this way, Ai Wei Wei is in fact wielding some power, control and even ownership over an experience in which he was in fact stripped of all those ideals. |
Questions to Ask while viewing S.A.C.R.E.D.
1. How is a Diorama different than a sculpture? 2. Why do you think Ai Wei Wei is presenting his experience as "dioramas" and not as paintings, drawings or a sculpture? 3. Why do you think Ai Wei Wei presents his experience through multiple dioramas, and not one big one? 4. How do you feel when you peer into the holes of each diorama? How does peering effect the way you experience the work? 5. Look at the diorama boxes. Why do you think Ai Wei Wei chose plain and austere boxes? Why not decorative ones? 
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 Allan Kaprow, Yard
Related Artists
Allan Kaprow  Christo, Umbrellas
 Yoko Ono, Cut Piece
Jasper Johns. Three Flags. 1958
Jasper Johns
For additional information, see ArtSy's article on Jasper Johns. |
Highlighted Works:
He Xie. He Xie consists of 3,200 porcelain crabs. Translated into English, He Xie means “river crab” however it also sounds like the word for “harmonious,” which is part of the Chinese Communist Party slogan “The realization of a harmonious society.” Thus, among "Chinese Netizens," He Xie refers to Chinese Censorship supposedly propagated for a harmonious society. Additionally, He Xie refers to the 2010 announcement by Chinese Authorities to destroy Ai Wei Wei's Shanghai Studio. On November 3rd of 2010, artist Ai Wei Wei noted government officials had informed him two months earlier that the newly completed studio would be knocked down because it was illegal. According to The Guardian, Shanghai municipal authorities were "frustrated" by Ai Wei Wei's "sensitive" documentaries. Ai complained the demolition was unfair, as he was "the only one singled out to have my studio destroyed." In response to the slated demolition, the artist invited (via Twitter) friends to a ten thousand crab feast at his studio. Ironically, Ai Wei Wei was placed on house arrest prior to the feast and couldn't attend. The artist was released from arrest the following day. |
Questions to Ask while viewing He Xie.
1. Ai Wei Wei invited friends to dinner via Twitter. Why do you think Ai used Twitter to invite friends?
2. Why do you think there are so many crabs? How would the work change if there were only three or four? 3. The crabs are made of porcelain, a material known to have originated in China. Why do you think Ai created the crabs of porcelain? See Ai's Bowls of Pearls. 
4. How is He Xie similliar to Bowls of Pearls?
5. How would He Xie be different if the crabs were made of different materials, such as plastic, glass or ceramics? 6. If you can actually visit He Xie, what is the experience like to actually walk around the crabs? How does the experience effect the way you feel about the art? |
Suggested Art Activities:
1. (Grades 9-12) Create a "Found Art" installation addressing a social injustice. Accompany your work with a brief report on the issue you are examining. See this link for inspiration.
2. (Grades 7-8) Build a diorama telling a story of an important event in your life. Things to consider: What will the outside of the box look like? What kind of feelings do you want to evoke? What kind of event was this? What materials and why will you use to construct the figures inside the box?
3. (Grades 4-6) How would you express the right of "Freedom of Speech?" or "Freedom of Expression?" Create a drawing or sculpture which expresses these rights and why they are important to you. Consider the converse - how would you feel if you didn't have the right to free speech and expression? What would you create expressing how it might feel to NOT have those freedoms?
1. (Grades 9-12) Create a "Found Art" installation addressing a social injustice. Accompany your work with a brief report on the issue you are examining. See this link for inspiration.
2. (Grades 7-8) Build a diorama telling a story of an important event in your life. Things to consider: What will the outside of the box look like? What kind of feelings do you want to evoke? What kind of event was this? What materials and why will you use to construct the figures inside the box?
3. (Grades 4-6) How would you express the right of "Freedom of Speech?" or "Freedom of Expression?" Create a drawing or sculpture which expresses these rights and why they are important to you. Consider the converse - how would you feel if you didn't have the right to free speech and expression? What would you create expressing how it might feel to NOT have those freedoms?
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Key Topics
Captivity Freedom Materiality National Identity Human Rights Individuality Protests Self Expression Social Media |
Art Themes
Activist Art Community Art Conceptual Art Dioramas Found Art Happenings Installations Ready Mades Sculpture |
Note - this page is not explicitly supported by any institution. However, I did consult external institutions for research, including but not limited to the sites noted under "Additional Resources."