A Woman Defined

Personally, I think the most important artists who will remain after they are gone are those who document the history of what happened in their own time and era, as Ai Weiwei does. For example, in his sculpture, titled Wenchuan Steel Rebar (2008 – 2012), Ai Weiwei had to salvage steel bars from schools that collapsed during the 2008 Sichauan earthquake. His use of steel bars, along with using backpacks of the school children, emphasize the poor construction of the schools, which caused them to collapse while other buildings stayed intact.

For certain, Ai Weiwei is the artist of our generation. His voice is loud enough for everyone to hear, even when he is gone. In this exhibition, consisting of over thirty of Ai Weiwei’s works from over twenty years, he examines human rights, social justice, culture, politics and traditions of his land in the most provocative way.