“Everything is art. Everything is politics.” This quote from renowned artist, architect, documentarian, writer, musician, and international celebrity Ai Weiwei sums up the work of several Chicago artists Dr. Mooney-Melvin brought to my attention this week. All artwork has meaning, and the larger-scale and more public the work, the more controversial, efficacious, and thought-provoking the message. Weiwei’s spirit of ‘excessivism’ can be seen as these artists work to cover the city in brightly colored images and messages.
Ai Weiwei’s father was a poet and political enemy of the Chinese government, causing Weiwei to grow up in labor camps and exile until Mao’s death in 1976. Weiwei returned to Beijing to study animation at the Beijing Film Academy, and was able to study in the United States before dropping out to pursue art full time.
In 1993, Weiwei returned to China to care for his ailing father, but was soon following in his footsteps, making waves with the Chinese government.
Beijing 2003 is a 150 hour video documenting a vehicle traveling the entire Fourth Ring Road expressway. What began as a commentary on poor road conditions in Beijing has turned into a valuable historic resource as the road has faced extensive redesign in the years since.
Weiwei presented ten metric tons of porcelain Sunflower Seeds in 2010. Both sunflower seeds and porcelain have been important industries in China for centuries. Weiwei says the individuality of each hand painted seed represents a Chinese person struggling to stand out in the midst of an oppressive government that sees its citizens as little more than a pile of sunflower seeds.
Around the same time, Weiwei completed a series of 12 bronze animal heads titled Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads. These oversized statues have traveled around the world, most notably crossing paths with the Testin family road trip two summers ago in Denver.
In 2011, Weiwei’s criticism of the government finally caught up with him. First, the studio he had designed and built in Shanghai was demolished. Several months later, he was arrested at the Beijing Capital International Airport for unfounded “economic crimes” and detained for three months, sparking a global street art campaign to free Ai Weiwei.
The NCSML hosts two of Weiwei’s smaller, more gallery friendly works. Table with Two Legs is a 2004 piece that comments on mass production replacing traditional craftsmanship. By deconstructing the table, Weiwei removed its function and forced viewers to see it exclusively as a work of art.
Self-Portrait in LEGO is a 2017 piece Weiwei crafted in response to a controversy with the LEGO Company. In his 2014 project Trace, Weiwei used LEGOs to create 176 portraits of political prisoners which were displayed in an exhibit at Alcatraz. Weiwei intended to do similar portraits of free speech advocates, but was denied his order of LEGOs as the company did not want its products used politically. Weiwei is considered a controversial political commentator, so chose to craft Self-Portrait in LEGO with the same purpose of highlighting himself as an advocate of free speech.
Ai Weiwei’s signature style of ‘excessivism’ certifies that few other artists have created on the same scale. There is no project too big or theme too controversial for Weiwei. Most recently, Weiwei has created designs for masks to collect money for charities, and, per his design, give a middle finger to the virus. Weiwei says, “I refuse to accept any part of life as a complete loss.”
Nights at the Museum 