Since we came back from Strasbourg I have been looking at a rather tantalizing bill board referring to a Ai Wei Wei exhibition in one of our lush department stores, « The Bon Marché » This was the first department store in Paris at the end of the 19th century and very family oriented. Since it has been refurbished it attracts a very elitist public and I feel somewhat out of place when I go there. But I would for Ai Wei Wei.
Remember that Pierrette and I saw his big exhibition in London last year ? That was referring to his imprisonment and making very political statements about life in China.
In Admiration Before Artist
I doubted very much that the exhibition in a department store would be like that. How right I was. When asked about exhibiting in a store as opposed to a museum or gallery space, Wei Wei said
“People experience the art as they go about their day and something unconsciously happens”.
The exhibition is called « Er Xi – Child’s Play » – and begins outside in the department store windows, showing a prelude to the works inside. Here we see fantastical creatures alongside a contemporary storyline, paying homage to Paris through both his father’s work when he lived in Paris in the 1920’s and 30’s as a young poet (‘Paris, tu es absurde’) and references to Marcel Duchamp.
They are delicate and ethereal creatures floating in the main atrium above the cosmetics department and inspired by the 2000 year old Chinese traditional children’s stories Shan Hai Jing (Classic of Mountains and Seas). Ai Wei Wei tells us that these have been lost to recent generations due to the censorship laws imposed in the PRC.
Made by master Chinese kite makers from bamboo and white silk paper, the works were constructed using traditional methods and took a year to complete. Several are left in bamboo skeleton form, without paper, so we can better appreciate the intricate craftsmanship.
A 20 metre long dragon, broken into four parts, fills the gallery space.
For once I watched the short video. Ai Wei Wei tells us how the exhibition came about and his relationship with Paris. It's worthwhile watching
AI WEI WEI
It’s was a beautiful moment. The sales were still on but I did not hang around to see if there was a little something left for me……..
Commentaires