Installations: Ai Weiwei

Ai Weiwei at the Royal academy of arts

One of the most influential Chinese
artists of our time Ai Weiwei's exhibition
at the the royal academy of arts is a
spectacle of practical ingenuity and
genuinely thought provoking.  

Using his own past experiences such as
being arrested for no reasonable charge
AiWeiwei's work is very personal to his
life, culture and beliefs. This is evidenced
through the use of materials and imagery
used throughout the exhibition. 

The hanging man for instance is a bold
use of minimal imagery suggesting
themes of oppression as well as
Weiwei's own ordeal when sentenced to
imprisonment.

Traditional ornaments brandished with
commercial advertising. Beautiful? Or
ruined?

Subjects of social media, cctv and chains
in a constant circle of repeating depicted
through the medium of wallpaper.

A chandelier formed from bicycles used in a
repetitive fashion to assemble an aesthetically brilliant
installation simply known as the 'bicycle chandelier'.

Overall, the exhibition was fascinating
integrating themes and subjects relevant
china's current political running as well
as more obscure themes allowing the
audience to conjure their own meaning
of the artists work.