See
Ai Weiwei: Making Sense – Design Museum London takeover
Until 30th July – last chance to see – ‘Ai Weiwei: Making Sense’ is the artist’s very first exhibition to focus on design and architecture, and is his biggest UK show in eight years. Known around the world for his powerful art and activism, Ai Weiwei works across many disciplines: his practice encompasses art, architecture, design, film, collecting and curating.
Last year, Christopher Farr had the honour to work with Ai Weiwei for the World Wildlife Fund’s Tomorrow Tigers, a major fundraising project, curated by Art Wise. This followed Ai Weiwei’s belief that human civilization can only be measured against human beings’ relationship with other beings in the world, our tolerance and understanding towards other species, and the well-being of all life.
In this current Design Museum exhibition, Ai Weiwei uses design and the history of making as a lens through which to consider what we value. At the heart of the exhibition are a series of major site-specific installations.
Hundreds of thousands of objects are laid out on the floor of the gallery in a series of five expansive ‘fields’. These objects — from Stone Age tools to Lego bricks — have been collected together by Ai Weiwei since the 1990s, and are the result of his ongoing fascination with artefacts and traditional craftsmanship.
Guest are invited to walk among them, encountering thousands of years of human ingenuity.
Ai Weiwei: Making Sense at the Design Museum London until 30th July 2023.
Main image: Ai Weiwei, Still Life, 1993-2000. © Image courtesy Ai Weiwei Studio
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