Ai Weiwei Has Covered the Façade of a Minneapolis Museum in Life Jackets for a Powerful Statement About Refugees—See Images Here

While museums around the globe are closed to the public, we
are spotlighting each day an inspiring exhibition that was
previously on view. Even if you can’t see it in person, allow us to
give you a virtual look. 

“When Home Won’t Let You Stay: Art and
Migration”
Minneapolis Institute of Art

What the museum says: “By choice or by
force. With great success or great struggle. People move or are
uprooted, for many reasons. The world is currently witness to the
highest levels of movement on record; the United Nations estimates
that one out of every seven people is an international or internal
migrant or refugee.

Borrowing its title from Somali-British poet Warsan Shire, ‘When
Home Won’t Let You Stay: Art and Migration’ highlights the diverse
artistic responses to migration, ranging from personal stories to
poetic meditations in a range of mediums. See how the global
movement of people today through migration, immigration, and
displacement has mobilized artists from over a dozen countries to
reimagine ideas of home and place.”

Why it’s worth a look: When this
exhibition, which originated at the ICA Boston and then traveled to
Minneapolis, first opened, no one could have predicted that in a
few weeks, “home” would take on such a different meaning. Now, in
our new reality, home is the place where you are being forced to
stay, and while it’s easy to gripe over the cancellation of parties
and concerts, the images in this show pose a question of what it
might be like without a place to call home.

With works by more than 20 artists, this exhibition throws a
spotlight on the very real struggle of migrants all over the world,
many whom are now facing the double plight of being displaced in
the midst of a global pandemic. One of the most vocal artists in
the migrant movement is Ai Weiwei, and his moving
installation Safe Passage makes its United States
debut in this exhibition, transforming the facade of the
Minneapolis museum.

The exterior facade of the institution—an unmistakable hallmark
of Western architecture—is now covered in discarded life jackets
from refugees who traveled from Turkey to Greece on boats that
couldn’t hold them all. From a distance, the 2,400 orange, red, and
blue inflatables look festive, but, as Ai intended, once reality
dawns on each visitor, they are impossible to look at in the same
way.

What it looks like:

The post Ai Weiwei Has Covered the Façade of a Minneapolis
Museum in Life Jackets for a Powerful Statement About Refugees—See
Images Here appeared first on artnet News.