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New York Times
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
In Seattle, a Deep Dive into the Provocative and Creative World of Ai Weiwei
For more than 40 years, Ai Weiwei has transformed personal experiences, empathy and global politics into visionary art forms that tickle the eye and challenge the brain, making him one of the world's most cerebral conceptual artists. 'Given everything you've done,' I asked him here at the Seattle Art Museum, where a major retrospective of his work is on exhibit, 'do you consider yourself first an artist, a social critic or a political activist?' 'I like to have labels,' he said. 'To be 'artist' will not offend me.' So far, so good. But then he said, 'I prefer to be a critic or some kind of historical thinker or social activist.' In truth, Ai Weiwei, at 67, is all those things as evidenced by this, his largest show ever in the U.S., 'Ai, Rebel: The Art and Activism of Ai Weiwei.' With more than 130 pieces from the 1980s to the current decade, it tracks his progression from painting, which he abandoned early, to social criticism through ordinary objects reimagined to symbolize his take on human rights, freedom of speech, Chinese culture and disasters, both natural and man-made. The show, which opened here in March and runs through Sept. 7, highlights work from his formative years in his native Beijing through 12 years in New York, where he attended the Parsons School of Design, honed skills as a photographer and began infusing western culture into his work. He then went back to China for 22 years and spent the last 10 in Europe, where he now splits time between a Lisbon suburb and his studio in Berlin, with an occasional trip to visit his son at school in Cambridge, England. The works here reveal his fascination for almost anything as a medium for making a point, including wood, steel, marble, photographs, film, video, social media and one of his recent favorites, Lego bricks. Many examples are sprinkled with irony and sarcasm, and almost all of them are laden with deeper meaning, which enhances an appreciation of any particular piece. One gallery especially makes the point with three related installations that represent Ai's reaction to the earthquake that killed an estimated 69,000 people, with thousands more reported missing, in Sichuan Province in 2008. One piece is an inkjet print bearing the names of 5,219 children who perished, an accounting he made possible by recruiting survivors to knock on doors to learn who died — something he accused the government of failing to do. On the floor is a jungle of mangled metal bars known as rebar from destroyed buildings. High above it all is a meandering snake made of 857 children's backpacks, another reminder of loss. 'I would say I'm not directly connected to creating art,' he said, explaining his thought process, 'but rather creating human emotions, criticism, judgment and argument, all those things.' Other works, too, carry messages not immediately discerned. A 2,000-year-old Han Dynasty urn is painted with a red Coca-Cola logo, signifying Western incursion into Chinese culture after the Chinese communist leader Deng Xiaoping opened the country to foreign investment in 1979. Another urn from the same period is seen in a photo triptych with the images showing it in Ai's hands, then in midair, then on the ground, smashed to bits. To Ai, it underscores the ease of erasing history. A pile of hand-painted porcelain 'sunflower seeds,' one ton of them, symbolizes other concepts. They were among 100 million 'seeds' displayed at the Tate Modern in London 15 years ago, all of them crafted by 1,600 local Chinese artisans. Ai intended them to reflect the ubiquitous notion of 'Made in China' as well as a childhood memory of propaganda posters depicting Chairman Mao Zedong as the sun surrounded by sunflowers symbolizing ordinary Chinese citizens. 'That is something I cannot repeat, and I don't think anybody can challenge it because the work requires a highly skilled craftsmanship,' he said. 'And, it's part of the history of China.' The earthquake tragedy marked a dramatic change in his approach to art. It began a period of widening his lens to address global issues, often using mundane objects to make a point. But it also brought him trouble. After criticizing the government for its failure to investigate the devastation, he was placed in detention for 81 days in 2011 without formal charges. Most likely, he said, it was for his accusations that shoddy building construction added to the death toll. Two years after his release, he moved to Europe and has never returned to China. Immersed again in Western culture, Ai began using Legos as a frequent tableau, and the exhibition includes several examples, some shown for the first time. They include a sardonic stab at the United States, with a massive replication of the first page of the special counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian influence in the 2016 U.S. election, a world premiere showing. Stand back, and it's an easy-to-read pixelated facsimile. Move closer, and the interlocking Legos show their individuality, even bands of black ones that reflect redacted sections of Mueller's report. Adjacent to that page is the Lego-built Mueller Report title page, in its first U.S. appearance. To Ai, they represent political intrigue and the fragility of democracy, as does a tattered U.S. mailbox, an ordinary object he uses to mock the controversy over mail-in ballots in the 2020 election campaign. Among other Lego works are several that appear as paintings. One is a vibrant scene of a body washed ashore under a blue sky, titled 'After the Death of Marat.' It represents the 2-year-old Syrian boy, Alan Kurdi, who died on a Turkish beach in 2015 in his family's effort to flee to Greece. Ai uses it to draw attention to the worldwide plight of refugees. But here, the dead body depicted is Ai himself. In the face of international criticism for trivializing the boy's death, he insisted it was more important to draw attention to the dangers facing desperate immigrants. 'That's why he's an artist,' said Foong Ping, the exhibition's curator. 'He illuminates whatever is around him and uses ways to us that are unimaginable. Who else uses rebar in art?' Other odd-looking works carry their own meanings — a mash-up of wooden stools, 42 bicycles welded together, a white plush chair made of marble, a three-legged wooden table with one leg on the floor, the two others on adjacent walls. The exhibition was put together in one year, lightning speed for any major museum presentation. Through a colleague, Foong met Larry Warsh, a New York art book publisher and collector who began buying Ai's works in 2002 as he was amassing a large collection of contemporary Chinese art. More than 80 pieces in the Seattle show are his. 'My goal,' he said in an interview, 'is to help create an Ai museum to benefit generations to come.' Ai attended a preview of the Seattle show, then returned to Europe. Still traveling on a Chinese passport, he said, he has crossed more than 300 borders in the last 10 years, always growing anxious when going through immigration. 'They give me all sorts of trouble,' he said. 'Most of them ask me odd questions; my heart starts to bounce. I wish I could cross easily.' While China remains in his heart, his itinerancy, he said, makes him feel like a man without a home. But he is also set apart by his work, an unusual fusion of social activism, life lessons and creative whimsy, singular among contemporary global artists. 'You come into the world, like me, almost 68 years, you still cannot find some kind of ease and comfort in the intellectual sense, to feel some kind of belonging,' he said. 'I'm always an outsider, a loner; that is my general condition.' His creations here seem to reflect as much; they suggest he stands alone.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Yahoo
These Washington cities are the 'most cultured' in the US, according to new report
Refined. Intellectual. Enlightened. You might be able to use these terms to describe the communities on Holafly's "Most Cultured Cities" in America list. The travel website and international eSIM provider recently analyzed 100 of the most populous cities in the U.S. to "establish where you can find America's cultural hotspots." Holafly created a "culture score" for each city by tracking the number of theaters, live music venues, museums, arts galleries, and landmarks per 100,000 people. New Orleans ranked first with a cultural score of 126.07, followed by San Francisco (second, 116.93) and Nashville (third, 63.95). Here's what to know. Seattle, the highest-placing Washington state city on the list, ranked 18th in the nation with a cultural score of 44.6, according to the report. Juan David Soler, a travel expert with Holafly, said Seattle is a "cultural gem" of the Pacific Northwest that marries nature and art. "For the Seattleites that call it home, they're spoiled with surrounding lush green forests and stunning areas of natural beauty like Lake Washington right on their doorstep," he said in an email. "Aside from a bustling music scene, it's also home to a host of renowned museums and art galleries, with almost 20 galleries per capita." Soler pointed to the Seattle Art Museum and the Museum of Pop Culture as must-visit destinations. Spokane ranked 41st, with a cultural score of 24.39, and Tacoma ranked 42nd, with a cultural score of 23.55. Elsewhere in the Northwest, Portland ranked 15th, scoring 45.51. Boise ranked 27th with a score of 32.76. New Orleans, Louisiana San Francisco, California Nashville, Tennessee St. Louis, Missouri Honolulu, Hawaii Boston, Massachusetts Arlington, Virginia Miami, Florida Washington, District of Columbia Richmond, Virginia See the full "Most Cultured Cities" in the U.S. report and methodology on Holafly's website. (This story was updated to fix a typo.) This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Seattle is a top 20 'most cultured' US city, according to new report
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The timing of this provocative retrospective at SAM is not a coincidence
The Brief The first Ai Weiwei retrospective in the U.S. in over a decade is now on display at the Seattle Art Museum. The show features 130 works from the 1980s to 2020s, and will run from March 12 to September 7. SEATTLE - "You should expect that he's a disruptor," said Ping Foong about Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. Foong is the Seattle Art Museum's Curator of Chinese Art and the curator of "Ai, Rebel: The Art and Activism of Ai Weiwei." She explained that it is the first Ai Weiwei retrospective in the U.S. in over a decade. It will run from March 12 to September 7. We met Foong at the exhibit, surrounded by works depicting gold animal heads, marble couches and images made from Legos. "Well, it's been very challenging to bring together so many objects," Foong said. The show features 130 works from the 1980s to 2020s across three of SAM's locations. "It is the largest (Weiwei) survey, retrospective, basically ever." Foong suggests that visitors who are limited on time should approach the gargantuan show strategically. "If your plan is to read every single one of my labels and watch all of the movies, well, I would say that it would take you a week." Weiwei is known in the art world for thought-provoking work across different media, often touching on politics and pointing out injustices. "One of Ai Weiwei's signature moves is to question why we value certain things like antiquities. So, he delights in smashing ancient pots, for instance," Foong said. Foong is referencing Ai Weiwei's "Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn" in 1995. The performance was photographed and now the images of the artist breaking a 2,000-year-old urn hang on the walls of the downtown location of the Seattle Art Museum. "This is a destruction which makes us think more closely about why is there some things that are allowed to be destroyed. For instance, older parts of the cities. You tear them down and build new buildings." Ai Weiwei's work often focuses on human rights abuses, both in China and around the world. When asked if the timing of the exhibition was accidental, given the current political climate in the U.S., Foong was quick to respond, "Absolutely intentional." Local perspective She added that while Weiwei had never been in Seattle before, it's an appropriate place to show his work. "Both art and activism are part of the fabric of Seattle." Ai Weiwei declined our request for an interview, but he answered questions from journalists during a press conference on Friday, March 7. Someone asked if he believed there were downsides to democratizing thought leadership online. He admitted that it was difficult for him to answer. His response seemingly referenced the current presidential administration. "There's nothing really original. There's nothing really that could be characterized as individual opinion." "Make America Great could be that opinion. It's such a propaganda, and it's quite broadly accepted." Weiwei is known to oppose authority. He's been a vocal critic of the Chinese Communist Party. The artist was detained for 81 days in 2011 after online calls for a Middle Eastern-style revolution in China. At the time, the BBC reported that he was held in a secret police detention center in China. "I think that his position is that you cannot say wrong things. You can only say things. That one has to have the ability for freedom of expression," said Foong. The curator explains that she doesn't want to presume what message visitors should take away from the exhibition. However, she does believe that it's the right time and place to experience Weiwei's work. "No matter what happens in our political environment, geopolitical environment throughout the world, we needed this exhibition to help us think and reflect upon our situation," said Foong "I hope that this show will galvanize people, will encourage them to act in whatever way they see fit." The Source Information in this story is from Seattle Art Museum's Curator of Chinese Art Ping Foong and FOX 13 Seattle reporting. Fire destroys, damages multiple Cybertrucks in Seattle lot Family wants justice years after Graham, WA man's death Bryan Kohberger defense ramps up legal maneuvers in bid to keep Idaho murders suspect off death row Major TSA change to shorten airport security wait times, DHS says: What to know Seattle Seahawks trade DK Metcalf to Pittsburgh Steelers To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter. Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national coverage, plus 24/7 streaming coverage from across the nation.
