The idea for this major solo exhibition was conceived in 2016, when Ai Weiwei visited the Israel Museum and was inspired by its surrounding landscape, the breadth of its collections, and the diversity and complexity of Israeli society. A hugely influential figure in China and one of the most important artists of our time, Ai Weiwei creates typically monumental works combining sculpture, photography, video, and installation. Some are spectacular, others are provocative, and others still are surprisingly delicate. All contain a call to be informed and engaged members of civic society and to take nothing for granted.
Replete with vivid full-page photographs – including beautiful detail close-ups, exhibition shots, and glimpses of the complex installation process – the book comprises an illuminating essay by Chief Curator of Fine Arts Mira Lapidot, who offers a “contextual” reading of Ai Weiwei’s art, and brief curatorial texts that elucidate the individual works. Interspersed throughout the book are quotations from the artist himself. In this age of tectonic shifts in the geopolitical arena, the questions he raises seem more relevant than ever: Is what we are told true? Is what we see real? Maybe, maybe not...
