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Article: Ai Weiwei's humane conceptualism: with a bevy of new sculptural projects, as well as a massive living intervention at Documenta, Chinese artist Ai Weiwei brings his brand of cunning, humorous--but ultimately compassionate--provocation to the global scene.
- Article from:
- Art in America
- Article date:
- September 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Brant Publications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Fairytale, Beijing artist Ai Weiwei's expansive piece at Documenta, began as a simple idea: invite 1,001 Chinese guests to come and stay temporarily in Kassel, Germany. Yet, as in much of Ai's work, what initially appeared to be an appealing, straightforward project soon took on increasingly elaborate social, political and logistical dimensions.
The growing convergence of China and the West suggested byFairytale--especially the arrival of China as both a commercial and artistic power--makes this a work perfectly suited to our time. Yet Ai's brand of conceptualism does not settle for clever rhetorical provocation; his work is grounded in physical facts. The ...