“Don Quixote” Exhibition by Ai Weiwei in León, Spain – StreetArtNews

An intensive exhibition titled Ai Weiwei. Don Quixote will open on the Museum of Modern Artwork of Castilla y León (MUSAC) in León, Spain, on November 9. This formidable challenge showcases quite a lot of works, together with large-scale installations, items created with toy bricks, and movies. Spanning round 1,700 sq. meters—greater than half of the museum’s complete exhibition area—that is certainly one of Ai Weiwei’s most important exhibitions to this point.

Ai Weiwei. La Commedia Umana, 2017- 2021. Murano glass / steel. 640 x 840 cm.

The exhibition options 44 works which can be designed to be immersive. Every gallery room is adorned with wallpaper-style artworks that attain over six meters in top. Along with the installations, guests can expertise ten movies that summarize Ai Weiwei’s cinematic and video artwork journey, together with the highly effective documentary Human Circulation (2017) and the intensive Beijing 2003 (2003), which captures 150 hours of footage from the streets of Beijing.

Ai Weiwei. So Sorry, 2011. Video, 54’.

MUSAC can even host the primary intensive show of Ai Weiwei’s sequence created with toy bricks, that includes 19 out of the 60 items he has made since 2007. The artist employs LEGO as a medium to problem conventional artwork kinds, stating that it permits him to discover political and aesthetic narratives with out the burden of historic conventions. One of many highlights contains The Third of Could (2023), a big portray that reinterprets Goya’s iconic work, reflecting on themes of sacrifice and societal upheaval.

Ai Weiwei. Life Cycle, 2008. Bamboo, sisal twine and silk. 17,8 x 4,53 x 2,6 m.

The exhibition contains three distinct teams of works created with toy bricks. The primary options 1:1 scale recreations of artwork historical past masterpieces, like Andy Warhol’s model of The Final Supper. Ai Weiwei emphasizes the thoughtfulness behind his collection of masterpieces, aiming for them to resonate together with his private and political experiences.

Ai Weiwei. Don Quixote, 2024. AI WEIWEI.

The second group incorporates up to date media references, such because the U.S. retrieving a Chinese language surveillance balloon’s remnants, highlighting present geopolitical and humanitarian crises. The ultimate group connects to Ai Weiwei’s earlier works, like Illumination (2019), which displays his experiences with police surveillance.

Ai Weiwei. Illumination, 2019. Toy bricks (LEGO). 380 x 304 cm.

Ai Weiwei. Yu Yi, 2015. Bambu. 1,217 x 521 x 238 cm

Among the many monumental installations is La Commedia Umana (The Human Comedy) (2017–2021), a large Murano chandelier measuring over eight meters tall and weighing 2,700 kg. This art work, crafted with the assistance of artisans, serves as a commentary on humanism and the continuing struggles humanity faces, together with refugee crises and environmental challenges.

Curated by Álvaro Rodríguez Fominaya, the exhibition represents a fruits of Ai Weiwei’s inventive journey, addressing themes of freedom, human rights, and the refugee expertise. The present will run till Could 18, 2025, and it’s the solely venue the place this distinctive assortment will probably be displayed, inviting audiences to have interaction deeply with the artist’s thought-provoking work.

Ai Weiwei. The Third of Could (El tres de mayo), 2023. Bloques de construcción (WOMA). 360 x 280 cm

Ai Weiwei. The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus, 2023. Toy bricks (LEGO). 342 x 380 cm.

Images courtesy of Ai Weiwei Studio.