Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Is It Art?



In what must seem as an addendum to my prior comments on art and artists, I expanded my experience by visiting an exhibit of one of the more famous dissident artists in the world.  This is his first U.S. exhibit which was successful on its first stop at the Hirshhorn Sculpture museum in D.C.  I am, of course, writing about Al Weiwei who is "waiting" for China to return his passport.  He was unable to attend the opening of this exhibit months ago, although over 200 diplomats from around the world were there to see it.

Whether one considers his work art, a statement of dissident symbolism or moments of Zen interspersed with his black and white photography, I was drawn to each piece and it left me thinking about art and humanity.  Could he be as famous an artist without the repressive government in China motivating him and giving him fame is a question made by some.  He lived in the U.S. for twelve years and returned to China where he became more interesting and more motivated.

In repressive China he has been arrested, beaten around the head (photos of the x-ray of the head concussion are part of the exhibit) and thrown in jail.  He has also had his newest studio bulldozed.  He currently faces charges on tax evasion.  He has won international awards and fortune which makes it awkward for the government to keep him out of the public eye.

I feel that China is a bomb of youthful energy and ideas waiting to explode.  When, not if, this happens, the global community (art, finance, health, etc.) will be forced to sit up and take notice.

The first work of art that you see when you arrive at the museum is outside in the courtyard.  It is the Zodiac of animal heads (12  bronze heads) that stand outside the Hirshhorn museum...an over-sized re-creation of twelve bronze animal heads that once adorned the Zodiac Fountain in Yuan Ming Yuan, the Old Summer Palace, in Beijing before being destroyed by British diplomat James Bruce, the 8th Earl of Elgin after the Opium wars.  The history of this destruction includes burning people alive and looting.  This is a perfect example of Weiwei's desire to connect the ancient with the contemporary and to connect art and politics.

 "The original heads had been made by Giuseppe Castiglione (1688-1766), an Italian Jesuit who, while living in China, had executed commissions for the Chinese emperor in the 18th century.
In other words, Ai Weiwei, a Chinese artist who has been considerably influenced by Western Postmodernism and who lived and studied in New York for over a decade, had recreated works made by a European who had lived and worked in China in the 18th century. What had spurred Ai Weiwei to make another Zodiac?"  John Seed

It gets even more complicated from here.  Questions are raised on authenticity, value, and who owns art anyway?  Just today CNN reported on some wall graffiti/mural by the now in-demand street artist Banksy being stolen right off the side of the building on a London street!




11 comments:

  1. A very interesting post. What is art is a question as hard to answer as Why are we here. This fellow's creations ARE art in my opinion because I define art as social commentary, a reflection on culture that focuses a light on that which most people do not see or comprehend. The Chinese government won't be able to contain their youth forever.

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  2. He is an artist, because he is expressing himself in a medium meant to convey meaning to others. Whether he is a good or great artist or not is a different argument.

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  3. How lucky to attend this exhibit. Who decides greatness anyway? When repression occurs anywhere, people try let their creations and talents speak for them.

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  4. Oh I would have loved to visit this exhibit! What a beautiful beginning to an art discussion...politics? Art? Process?
    There are so many ways to think about this work and many others!
    Hugs
    SueAnn

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  5. I feel that China is a bomb of youthful energy and ideas waiting to explode. When, not if, this happens, the global community (art, finance, health, etc.) will be forced to sit up and take notice.

    This only makes sense given the history of art produced in China. They certainly will not remain content to manufacture cheap stuff for the U.S. forever.

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  6. When I first saw those, I thought they were gruesome. They grew on me. I liked his work by the end of my trek. I've been so isolated from the post modernist world for the last ten years that these works were a revelation to me. I was truly moved by the rebar work.

    As an aside, best of all it cost nothing to go in to see this show. Or any shows there in Washington. Very moving.

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  7. I do not have quite the ability that you have in grasping the politics, however, the art is amazing! Out of curiosity, I went to the Hirschhorn site and saw that the exhibit is there only til the 24th. I am reminded that I am only 2 hours away and that I should find time to visit our nation's museums more often.

    I did manage to see the Chihuly exhibit in Richmond just a couple weeks ago.

    Writing about your experiences is a help in prodding the rest of us to get out and see more which prompts new thoughts and ideas, and well as just for plain enjoyment.

    Keep it up.

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  8. Oh, no. I just found out about his exhibit and it is closing this weekend. I am so disappointed and would have loved to have seen it.

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  9. I believe art is art if the artist considers it so. It can also be art if someone else considers it so, even if the artist doesn't. The one thing that is never correct is for someone to declare something as NOT art just because that person doesn't like it. I have a distaste for some things others consider daring and brilliant, but which I consider rubbish, but I will still defend to the death the artist's right to call him or herself an artist. This is despite my recent comments concerning my visit to MOMA (I re-read them just now, to see if I contradicted myself here, but I don't believe I have done so. I was insulting, but nowhere did I declare anyone not an artist. Maybe I called someone a poor artist, but not NOT an artist.)

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  10. around Vancouver now there's an installation where exising sculptures of sea animals are being retrofitted with plastic as art on art.

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