Ai Weiwei has caused controversy in the art world again, with his installation at the Konzerthaus in Berlin. The famous Chinese artist has draped 14,000 life jackets over the six pillars that make up the entrance of the concert hall. In the middle of the six pillars hangs a lifeboat, with a banner stating “#safepassage”. The installation aims to highlight the recent immigration issues in Europe and the hardships that refugees endure in their struggle to reach Europe.
Over the past few months, Ai Weiwei collected used and discarded life jackets from the Greek island of Lesbos, where refugees had arrived by shore from Turkey. Each life jacket was fixed onto the pillars by a large crane. The installation also coincided with the Cinema for Peace Gala, that was held on February 15.
The life jackets were brought to Germany from Lesbos.
Since last December, the artist visited Lesbos repeatedly in his humanitarian efforts to help the rising refugee populations. In his attempt to attract the attention of the public, Ai documented his trips on his Instagram account.
Ai Wei Wei's installation was assembled on site.
Two weeks ago, Ai closed his exhibition, “Ruptures,” in Copenhagen, Denmark, in protest of recently approved Danish legislation that aims to deter refugees from entering the country. On his Instagram page , Ai wrote ”This decision follows the Danish parliament's approval of the law proposal that allows seizing valuables and delaying family reunions for asylum seekers”.
Ai also caused controversy last week, when he reenacted a photo of the drowned infant, Alan Kurdi. The photo was exhibited at the India Art Fair and was another one of Ai’s artistic attempts to highlight the plight of refugees.
[Photo via Design Boom]
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