The impacting and polemic work for which he is known – reflecting the delights and very real shortcomings of modern society – continues in Venice, presented across two venues. At the Zitelle complex in Giudecca – across the water from Biennale HQ – Weiwei is showing an expanded version of his sculptural installation Straight, formed of tons and tons of steel rebar recovered from collapsed schools in the Sichuan province of China. Weiwei famously expressed his horror and disgust at the Chinese government’s shoddy ‘tofu-dregs engineering’ in constructing the schools which collapsed in the 2008 earthquakes, killing thousands of children. Arguably his vocal indignation led to his arrest at Beijing airport; held for over two months without any official charges, Chinese officials accused him of ‘economic crimes’, but were clearly irked at the artist’s persistent investigation into governmental acts of negligence, censorship and social disregard. Despite threats to his safety, the tragic events of the 2008 earthquake pushed Weiwei to produce several works and writings on the topic, including collecting a (still growing) list of the names of the dead, a series of stark photographs of the devastation, and of course, Straight.
Additionally, a new piece specially conceived for the church of Sant’Antonin, will also be revealed during the first week of the Biennale (watch this space), acting as a dialogue between the artist and the architecture and presenting ‘a contemporary Chinese response to the city of Venice’. Indeed, Weiwei has come to be known as a man almost transcending his role as simply an artist; his contribution to architecture is particularly noted, not only through his work with Herzog & De Meuron in designing the famous ‘Birds Nest’ Stadium for the contentious Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and of course a reprise of this partnership for the 2012 Serpentine Pavilion, but also in the Honorary Fellowship bestowed upon him in the same year by the Royal Institute of British Architects.
To compound his critique and to vent his frustration at the’trauma’ resulting from the ‘crazy menace and inhuman conditions’ of his 2011 detention, Weiwei has literally inhabited his rock star status through his recent heavy metal music video, Dumbass (watch below). With new pieces joined by his acclaimed sculptural installation Straight, now expanded for its new stage, we’re never sorry to let Ai Weiwei continue to occupy the forefront of our minds.
Ai Weiwei, Disposition runs from 29 May-15 September 2013 at Giudecca & Sant’Antonin, Venice. The exhibition is a Collateral Event of the 55th International Art Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia. The exhibition will be presented by Zuecca Projects in collaboration with Lisson Gallery.
Andrew Herbert
