Tag: Ai Weiwei

The exhibition “Roots” by Ai Weiwei at the Lisson Gallery in London features a series of monumental sculptures cast in iron from tree roots sourced from Brazil. Local artisans and communities across Brazil worked with the artist to locate roots and trunks, some of which could be over a thousand years old. The title for each sculpture was suggested by Ai Weiwei’s young son, Ai Lao, based on his personal observations or connections made when visiting the tree remains with his father. The exhibition depicts the state of “uprootedness,” which mirrors not only Ai Weiwei’s peripatetic existence after being allowed to leave China in 2015, but also the plight of the refugees he has spent the last few years documenting, as well as the various indigenous populations that rely on the trees and forests of Brazil for their habitats and sustenance. The material employed in making the Roots series – cast iron covered in a patina of orange rust – responds to ancient cultures and man’s first tools for tree felling and woodworking, rather than to the recent, more polite art history of bronze or steel sculpture. Contrasting with these heavy, land-bound creatures is a number of floating figures, clouds, and dream-like vignettes. Ai has been producing delicate sculptures from stretched silk over bamboo armatures, employing a group of Chinese kite makers based in Weifang, a city in Shandong province. The show ends with a development of Ai’s experimentation with LEGO bricks, featuring politically-charged, pixelated renderings of the trajectory of a refugee boat refused docking at Lampedusa after two weeks at sea, the front page of the Mueller report into Russian interference in the 2016 US Presidential election, as well as a deconstructed symbol of the contentious protests of Tiananmen Square in 1989.

Posted by hateruma_yaeyama on 2019-10-02 10:41:24

Ai Weiwei’s latest exhibition, Roots, features a series of monumental sculptural works in iron, cast from giant tree roots that were sourced in Brazil during research and production for last year’s survey exhibition. The pieces, which resemble jungle creatures, are designed to reflect their Brazilian heritage while emphasising the state of uprootedness – an experience that is common to both the artist and the displaced people he documents. In contrast, other pieces in the collection consist of delicate sculptures made from stretched silk over bamboo armatures, referring back to a mythological encyclopaedia of monsters and creatures known as the Classic of Mountains and Seas. Finally, the exhibition establishes a spatial dialogue by placing politically-charged, pixelated renderings of the trajectory of a refugee boat refused docking at Lampedusa after two weeks at sea, the front page of the Mueller report into Russian interference in the 2016 US Presidential election, as well as a deconstructed symbol of the contentious protests of Tiananmen Square in 1989.

Posted by hateruma_yaeyama on 2019-10-02 10:39:11

Artist Ai Weiwei’s autumn exhibition, entitled ‘Roots’, features a series of iron sculptures, cast from giant tree roots sourced in Brazil. Ai worked with local artisans and communities across Brazil, visiting Trancoso in the east to locate roots and trunks from the endangered Pequi Vinagreiro tree, typically found in the Bahian rainforest. Elements of these rare tree roots were painstakingly moulded, conjoined and then cast to create striking compositions and bold forms that reflect their Brazilian heritage. While some resemble great jungle beasts or fantastical creatures, others comprise shattered, exploded root forms radiating outwards from a central nexus. The material employed in making the Roots series, cast iron covered in a patina of orange rust, likewise responds to ancient cultures and man’s first tools for tree felling and woodworking, rather than to the more recent art history of bronze or steel sculpture. These methods represent a traditional way of life that has been usurped and upended by industrialisation and modernisation, illustrating how progress can come at the expense of cultural and societal well-being. Alongside the sculptures, Ai presents floating figures, clouds and dream-like vignettes, as well as politically-charged pixelated renderings of a refugee boat, the Mueller report and the Tiananmen Square protests. The exhibition reflects the artist’s experiences of ‘uprootedness’, mirroring his peripatetic existence, as well as the plight of the refugees he has spent the last few years documenting, and the indigenous populations that rely on the trees and forests of Brazil for their habitats and sustenance.

Posted by hateruma_yaeyama on 2019-10-02 10:41:29

Ai Weiwei’s exhibition ‘Roots’ features a series of monumental sculptural works in iron, consisting of giant tree roots sourced from Brazil. Ai worked with local artisans and communities throughout Brazil, sourcing roots from the endangered Pequi Vinagreiro tree, some of which are over a thousand years old. The roots were moulded and cast to create striking compositions that reflect their Brazilian heritage. The works depict the state of ‘uprootedness’, which mirrors not only the artist’s peripatetic existence but also the plight of refugees and the indigenous populations that rely on the trees and forests of Brazil for their habitats and sustenance. The Roots series, made of cast iron and covered in a patina of orange rust, responds to ancient cultures and man’s first tools for tree felling and woodworking, illustrating how progress can often come at the expense of cultural and societal well-being. The exhibition also features delicate silk sculptures, referencing mythological creatures, personal symbols, and works of art. Finally, the exhibition features politically charged, pixelated renderings of the trajectory of a refugee boat refused docking, the Mueller report into Russian interference in the 2016 US Presidential election, and a deconstructed symbol of the protests of Tiananmen Square in 1989.

Posted by hateruma_yaeyama on 2019-10-02 10:41:22

Ai Weiwei’s exhibition, Roots, features a new series of large-scale sculptures that have been constructed from tree roots sourced from the Brazilian rainforest. The sculpture series was created in collaboration with local Brazilian communities and artisans. The sculpture collection is made up of large, imposing works, which juxtapose against Ai’s more delicate kites, silk sculptures and LEGO works. The sculptures depict ‘uprootedness’ and reflects the artist’s own life after being allowed to leave China in 2015, as well as the plight of the refugees he has documented, and the indigenous populations that have been impacted by deforestation in Brazil. The Roots sculptures are crafted using a technique called ‘lost wax’, which is a traditional method of handcrafting that is at risk of becoming obsolete in the wake of technological progress. The exhibition was presented in collaboration with Ai’s Berlin gallery, neugerriemschneider.

Posted by hateruma_yaeyama on 2019-10-02 10:41:31