Recent Exhibition at Tang Contemporary Art Seoul and Unique Approach to Artistic Expression

Famous artist Ai Weiwei recently held a solo exhibition at Tang Contemporary Art Seoul until March 10th, marking his fifth collaboration with Tang Gallery. In his work, Ai Weiwei explores human expression and communication in the digital age while searching for poetic meanings with human dignity, following in the footsteps of his father. He draws inspiration from writers and poets such as Arthur Rimbaud and Walt Whitman, and uses various mediums to convey his messages. 

▲ Illumination,LEGO bricks mounted on aluminum , 308 x 385 cm Edition 1 of 6 + 1 AP, 2019, Courtesy of Tang Contemporary Art

One prominent feature in Ai Weiwei's recent works is his use of LEGO to carry personal messages, embedding stories from his childhood and education. This use of pixels, digitization, segmentation, fragmentation, and disconnection allows for unique freedom in reproducing images, breaking away from traditional order, method, and composition. This approach is reminiscent of ancient mosaics, fabric presentations such as silk and wool, and wooden movable-type printing during the Song Dynasty, where methods and means of production replace manual control, resulting in highly accurate and precise images. This reflects the linguistic advantage of computer technology and presents an intelligent logical system for the digital age.

▲ Zodiac, LEGO bricks mounted on aluminum, 115 x 115 cm, each (Set of 12) Edition 5 of 10 + 2AP, 2018, Courtesy of Tang Contemporary Art

This approach to production and de-individualized expressions is consistent with Ai Weiwei's previous works, such as Fairytale (2007), where he brought 1,001 Chinese visitors to documenta 12, Sunflower Seeds (2010), consisting of one hundred million hand-painted porcelain seeds, Straight (2012), made of one hundred and fifty tons of rebars, and Soft Ground (2009), a hand-woven carpet replicating the patterns and textures of a museum floor.

▲ Sunflower Seeds (2010)，Tate Modern, Courtesy of Tang Contemporary Art

This approach is also evident in Washed (1990), where images of washes and erosion on wooden panels create alternative image effects through homogeneous splicing, multiplication, and decentralization, born out of technical means of production that allow for precise presentation of concepts, methods, language, and composition. This challenges the traditional tendency towards individuation and unquantifiable language in art.

The logic behind the use of LEGO as a structure in Ai Weiwei's works aligns with his social media expression, including tweets and Instagram images. Both encompass temporal and spatial factors, flattening, fragmentation, and dispossessed continuity of media and reality, including existence, ideologies, politics, happenings, and cultural and dream-like linguistic approaches.

Ai Weiwei's works also extend to his documentary films, such as Beijing 2003 (2003), Chang'an Boulevard (2004), Beijing: the Second Ring (2005), Beijing: the Third Ring (2005), and Rohingya (2022), as well as his writings on social media platforms like Weibo, Twitter, and Instagram, and his large volume of documentary materials, photographic documentations, and interviews. The formation of LEGO in his works is in line with the relationship between print, photography, mechanical production, pop art, digital technology, modern media, and online games.

Ai Weiwei's intentions in his recent works, such as Untitled (After Pollock) (2020), made as an homage to Jackson Pollock's abstract expressionist technique, and Untitled (After Munch) (2020), referencing Edvard Munch's The Scream, where he inserted an image of himself covering his genitals with a caonima (alpaca) puppet, go beyond aesthetics. Ai Weiwei has used his art to make statements about social and political issues, such as calling for the resignation of financier Leon Black as MoMA's chairman and addressing the locust plague in Pakistan in Untitled (After Van Gogh) (2020), and juxtaposing a masterpiece of European painting with an image of contemporary China's state power in Untitled (After Rubens) (2020). In Sleeping Venus (After Giorgione) (2022), Ai Weiwei added

▲ Self-Portrait (Hirshhorn Limited Edition), LEGO bricks, 38.26 x 38.26 cm AP from Edition of 100 + 5AP, 2017, Courtesy of Tang Contemporary Art Ai Weiwei's use of LEGO in his recent solo exhibition at Tang Contemporary Art Seoul, as well as in his other works, reflects his exploration of the possibilities of human expression and communication in the digitized world. He draws inspiration from his father's work and the poetic meanings associated with human dignity. Ai sees himself on the same path as writers and poets such as Arthur Rimbaud and Walt Whitman, using language as a tool for commanding artistic expression.

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Maria Kim, sayart2022@gmail.com