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“This so called contemporary art is not a form but a philosophy of society.” – Ai Weiwei

Before coming to New York I had heard mention of Ai Weiwei’s name all but once. It was about a week before leaving for the Big Apple and a few of my fellow students and I were chatting about all of the exciting things we intended to do once we got there. One student in particular, an artistic gal by the name of Ang, mentioned an art exhibition featuring Weiwei’s work. Somewhat intrigued, I scribbled the name down in my notebook, but thought little of it otherwise. Then, last Saturday, I was sitting bored and alone my friend’s apartment where I was staying and decided to undertake in one of my favorite activities; traveling to museums by myself.

The closest museum at the time was the Brooklyn Museum of Art so I hopped on the subway and made my way down to 200 Eastern Parkway. Little did I know, I was about to attend the very exhibit that Ang had been talking about that day in class.

The exhibit, titled Ai Weiwei: According to What?, starts on the fifth floor and moves down to the fourth, covering almost twenty years of Weiwei’s art with over forty pieces. My lack of knowledge of the man was not a did not take away from the experience as the museum set up the exhibit so that a person could walk through his work as though they were walking through his life. At first I was overwhelmed by the variety and the at-first-glance absurdity of his work, but quickly found myself immersed in his spirit.

Weiwei is a contemporary artist born in China and fixated on freedom of expression and human rights both in China and globally. Through photography, sculpture, film and social, political and cultural criticism, he explores politics, history, culture and tradition. “Everything is art. Everything is politics.”

The exhibit features two of his most famous works; Stacked which is laid out on the fourth floor and S.A.C.R.E.D, six iron boxes each displaying a look into the hardest parts of his eighty-one day imprisonment in which he lived under twenty-four hour surveillance with no real explanation as to why. S.A.C.R.E.D. is placed in the entrance of the museum and can be viewed for free as you walk in. To view the rest of the exhibition it is $10 for students and $15 for adults which, if you ask me, is an incredibly small price to pay for such an amazing experience. Tickets can be purchased until 5 PM Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays and until 9 PM Thursdays.

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