Art & Activism
Asia Society Northern California partnered with Stanford Women’s Club San Francisco, the Chinese American School and Stanford Club SF to host Cheryl Haines, the Director of FOR SITE Foundation on Feb. 12, 2015, as she talked about how “@ Large: Ai Wei Wei in Alcatraz” was conceived and implemented.
Haines describes Ai Wei Wei “as one of the most important artist and social activist of today” whom she first met in 2008 during a visit to Beijing. She described his radically egalitarian nature, as well as his artistic sophistication, which made him stand out among his peers when she first encountered his work in 2008.
In 2011, Chinese authorities placed Ai in isolation for 81 days for tax evasion; and Haines, who had become a close personal friend, got in touch with him the day after his release. Ai knew that he was banned from leaving China by the authorities and simply voiced his one desire: to have his art “go out into the world”: He asked of Haines, “Can you help bring my art to a larger audience?” Haines responded, “What if I brought you a prison?” Ai shot back, “You can do that?”
The idea of @Large: Ai Wei Wei in Alcatraz was, at that moment, born. Symbolically, Alcatraz, a former military and federal prison turned national park, is the perfect setting for Ai Wei Wei’s seven large-scale works displayed there. @Large focuses on themes of human rights, the connection between art and social change, freedom of expression and the role of communication in nourishing deep human and social values. One of Ai’s aims was to convey “the human face of suffering” and the “human voice” through these art pieces as he did through “Trace.” “Trace” features pixelated portraits of 175 prisoners of conscience from around the world, created from over a million Lego pieces. Legos are “building blocks,” Haines explained, highlighting the commonality of people; and is connected to the younger generation, whom Ai especially wishes to impress through his works.
To read more about the @Large: Ai Wei Wei exhibit please click here.