Research: Ai Wei Wei's "Child Play"

Ai Weiwei‘s first exhibition in France was staged at the Le Bon Marché, Paris' oldest department store. At its center the exhibition includes 20 illuminated silk and bamboo creatures that float above the cosmetics department, a contradiction of subject matter that Ai embraces as he allows the two vastly different worlds to collide. The show is in many ways tied to the artist’s family and childhood. His father, the Chinese poet Ai Qing, passed on stories to Ai of his time spent living and studying art in Paris in the 30s. Thinking about his father’s history within the city, Ai also contemplated his own background with the art of kite making, enlisting 12 kite makers from the Shandong Province in China to build the sculptures from similar materials he used to make his first kite at the age of ten. What I enjoyed about the piece was the philosophy behind. Ai used paper sculptures to create fantasy characters like dragons, fishes and mythological creatures. Ai is a firm believer in coexisting with dreams and the fantasy world. He commented that people are often too realistic and neglect fantasies and dreams. However these mythologies are essential in the humanity we have today, and we should embrace them instead of conceal them. Looking at the exhibition, my inner child definitely popped out. I was able to imagine being back in the fantasy world I genuinely loved and still love. Another thing I enjoyed is that he introduced traditional Chinese materials and crafts in such a western setting. This embraces the best of both worlds and puts them together in this unexpected but matching relationship. I was able to see two completely different cultures coexist together and add up to more than the sum of their individual elements. The idea of introducing such pieces at this setting was genius, and definitely helped in introducing the Chinese craft.

Week 2-3 (Design)

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