HOW IS THE FUTURE BETTER THAN THE PRESENT?: ʻAI WEIWEI: DEFEND THE FUTUREʼ

Ai Weiwei: Defend the Future will be on show at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Korea Seoul until Apr. 17. This exhibition is the artists first solo exhibition in Korea and introduces abouts freedom of expression has often been restricted. Ai Weiwei requested peoples interest and participation through social media as a kind of resistance to any possible restrictions, and this was also completed as a part of the work. (2019) reveals his behaviorist attitude. Ai Weiwei has been using LEGO block to raise questions about the boundaries between art and commercial products, high-end and low-end art, but when he ordered a large quantity of LEGO for a follow-up exhibition, an unexpected response came back. The LEGO company replied, ‘The company policy cannot support the use of LEGO for work for political purposes’. The artist posted this on his social media platforms, such as Twitter and Instagram, and people around the world uploaded tweets saying they would send their LEGO bricks to Ai Weiwei. This is how was created, through a project to locate LEGO collection points like social media. (2016) also deals with refugees and human rights issues. In 2016, the Greek government moved refugees living in refugee camps. Ai Weiwei collected those items left in the camp, carried them to Berlin Studios, washed them, repaired them, ironed them, and made a list. The collection of clothes that no one wears anymore evokes the presence of those absent. Ai Weiweis remarks at the exhibition were also impressive: ‘I have no interest in whether I want to be more or less successful in the art world. I dont think life and art are different things. What is the point of a life without dialogue, joy, or anger?’ Ai Weiweis statement that is equivalent to the proverb that art equals life, embodied in his work.