{"id":553,"date":"2016-06-30T19:58:43","date_gmt":"2016-06-30T19:58:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting\/?p=553"},"modified":"2022-03-25T18:39:35","modified_gmt":"2022-03-25T18:39:35","slug":"ai-weiwei-comes-to-lesbos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/2016\/06\/30\/ai-weiwei-comes-to-lesbos\/","title":{"rendered":"Ai Weiwei comes to Lesbos"},"content":{"rendered":"

By James Haynes<\/em><\/p>\n

ATHENS — Ai Weiwei has made bringing attention to crises a lifelong effort. As the Chinese artist once told an interviewer, “If my art has nothing to do with people’s pain and sorrow, what is ‘art’ for?”<\/p>\n

Most recently, he has been pointing attention toward Greece. He first visited Athens and the island of Lesbos last year, when thousands of refugees were washing ashore from Turkey daily . He quickly established a studio here, and in May the Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens showcased the studio\u2019s work by opening the artist\u2019s first major exhibition in Greece.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The show highlights how Ai has turned\u00a0his critical focus from the Chinese government to the pain of the refugees. Visitors are greeted first by images from local Lesbos photographers who worked with Ai; the scenes they captured pop with the bright blue of the sea and the alarming orange of refugees\u2019 life jackets<\/p>\n

“The road of refugees is anything but easy,” asserts a quote from photographer Elias Markou on one of the wall displays, and the pictures offer proof: refugees arriving in packed boats washing onto rocky shores, huddling under blankets and waiting idly in tents.<\/p>\n

The work’s geographic focus is particularly striking because here Ai’s lens is turned on Greece and other far-flung lands, rather than the artist\u2019s homeland of China.<\/p>\n

One of Ai’s most renowned works in the exhibit is a collection of photographs called \u201cStudy of Perspective.\u201d In it, Ai’s left arm is shown making an obscene gesture towards a famous monument. In some photos, it is the Eiffel Tower or a church; in others still it is a Chinese icon such as Tiananmen Square.<\/p>\n

This defiance toward authority and established institutions infuses Ai\u2019s work. Though he lives in Beijing, Ai is an outspoken critic of the Chinese government and its repression of free speech and personal expression. Smithsonian Magazine has\u00a0described\u00a0<\/a>his conceptual style of work as being “of only passing interest,” since “it seems little more than a diagram of some pre-conceived moral. . .which can stopper the imagination.”<\/p>\n

This moral is often a critique of the Chinese government and the Communist Party, for placing their interests before those of its citizens. In \u201cDust to Dust,\u201d a jar of the remains of a Neolithic Chinese pot that Ai ground to powder evokes the purposeful destruction of historic artifacts during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. \u201cThe Mask,\u201d a marble sculpture of a gas mask, alludes to the heavy air pollution that millions of urban Chinese residents endure daily \u2013 a sign of the government ignoring the suffering of its citizens.<\/p>\n

\"CHandalier\"<\/p>\n

Chandelier (Joe Stephens)<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

Ai also takes on the new affection many Chinese have developed for material possessions. \u201cChandelier\u201d is a branched copper tree dripping with crystal prisms, symbolizing the unstable prosperity and luxury that many Chinese people aspired toward after their government enacted economic reforms.<\/p>\n

While Ai’s message of the need for increased human rights in China makes sense to many Westerners, those in China have a harder time hearing and seeing it. In the same way, the stories and plight of refugees are heard much more clearly in Europe than in the refugees\u2019 home countries. It is by drawing out these stories that Ai continues to relate his work to the hardships felt by those crossing borders, from East to West.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By James Haynes ATHENS — Ai Weiwei has made bringing attention to crises a lifelong effort. As the Chinese artist once told an interviewer, “If my art has nothing to do with people’s pain and sorrow, what is ‘art’ for?” Most recently, he has been pointing attention toward Greece. He first visited Athens and the<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":47,"featured_media":530,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","post-preview"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/IMG_4586.jpg?fit=2448%2C3264&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7wyBy-8V","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1,"url":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/2016\/05\/09\/hello-world\/","url_meta":{"origin":553,"position":0},"title":"About this project","author":"Joe Stephens","date":"May 9, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Welcome to Borderland, a project of students in Princeton University\u2019s first border-crossing global journalism seminar, \u201cReporting on the Frontlines in Greece.\u201d In June and July 2016, \u00a0students traveled to Athens and the island of Lesbos, notebooks and cameras in hand, to serve as eyewitnesses at a pivotal moment in world\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/05\/2-Ship-Mytilene-dawn-TWO-.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/05\/2-Ship-Mytilene-dawn-TWO-.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/05\/2-Ship-Mytilene-dawn-TWO-.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/05\/2-Ship-Mytilene-dawn-TWO-.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/05\/2-Ship-Mytilene-dawn-TWO-.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":573,"url":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/2016\/07\/19\/island-hospitality-refugee-style\/","url_meta":{"origin":553,"position":1},"title":"Island hospitality, refugee style","author":"amark","date":"July 19, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"By Alexandra Markovich The office of the mayor of Mytilene, the capital of Lesbos island, overlooks the Aegean Sea. Huge windows open onto the city\u2019s port, where discarded boats that once carried refugees to the island are still docked. Less than 10\u00a0miles separate the island from Turkey\u2019s coast. Marios Andriotis-Konstantios,\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/Statue-of-Liberty.jpg?fit=1200%2C1114&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/Statue-of-Liberty.jpg?fit=1200%2C1114&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/Statue-of-Liberty.jpg?fit=1200%2C1114&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/Statue-of-Liberty.jpg?fit=1200%2C1114&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/Statue-of-Liberty.jpg?fit=1200%2C1114&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":819,"url":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/2016\/08\/03\/the-classroom-cure\/","url_meta":{"origin":553,"position":2},"title":"The Classroom Cure","author":"Joe Stephens","date":"August 3, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Greece\u2019s child refugees are at risk of becoming a \u2018lost generation.\u2019 Is education the answer? By Hayley Roth and Iris Samuels \u00a0ATHENS, Greece -- Two young boys with skinny frames, buzzed hair and bright t-shirts jostled beneath the hot Greek sun. But as humanitarian workers approached, it became clear the\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/08\/Boy-with-kite_Ally-Markovich_1150.jpg?fit=1147%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/08\/Boy-with-kite_Ally-Markovich_1150.jpg?fit=1147%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/08\/Boy-with-kite_Ally-Markovich_1150.jpg?fit=1147%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/08\/Boy-with-kite_Ally-Markovich_1150.jpg?fit=1147%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/08\/Boy-with-kite_Ally-Markovich_1150.jpg?fit=1147%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":602,"url":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/2016\/07\/23\/lesbos-the-waiting-game\/","url_meta":{"origin":553,"position":3},"title":"Lesbos: The Waiting Game","author":"hroth","date":"July 23, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"By Hayley Roth Take a walk down the main street of Mytilene, the capital of the Greek island of Lesbos, and you\u2019ll see freshly-scrubbed storefronts, colorful awnings and potted plants. Hotels, restaurants and travel agencies face the placid waters of the Aegean. Docked boats scrape against the sidewalks. Shopkeepers lounge\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/72961c3c-c533-4a6e-a9cc-00f2ec87a99c.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/72961c3c-c533-4a6e-a9cc-00f2ec87a99c.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/72961c3c-c533-4a6e-a9cc-00f2ec87a99c.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":631,"url":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/2016\/07\/21\/paradise-lost\/","url_meta":{"origin":553,"position":4},"title":"Paradise lost","author":"hwb","date":"July 21, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"By Harrison Blackman Four months have passed since the European Union outlawed undocumented migration from Turkey, effectively trapping new arrivals\u00a0from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan in camps in Greece. As of July, United Nations statistics show that the agreement has cut arrivals by sea from the peak\u00a0of 210,000 people a month\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Lesbos"","block_context":{"text":"Lesbos","link":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/category\/lesbos\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/IMG_6303.jpg?fit=859%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/IMG_6303.jpg?fit=859%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/IMG_6303.jpg?fit=859%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/IMG_6303.jpg?fit=859%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":697,"url":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/2016\/07\/25\/history-repeats-itself-in-greeces-refugee-crisis\/","url_meta":{"origin":553,"position":5},"title":"History Repeats","author":"Iris Samuels","date":"July 25, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"By Iris Samuels The Benaki Museum in Athens is an unlikely place to find teenagers on a hot summer afternoon. Yet on a recent Saturday,\u00a0two 16-year-old boys were roaming amid ancient statues and Ottoman-era jugs, arms crossed awkwardly over gangly bodies. They were fascinated. In their t-shirts and sneakers, they\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/Afghan-teens-at-benaki-museum-.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/Afghan-teens-at-benaki-museum-.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/Afghan-teens-at-benaki-museum-.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/Afghan-teens-at-benaki-museum-.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/Afghan-teens-at-benaki-museum-.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/47"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=553"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/553\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":887,"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/553\/revisions\/887"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/530"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}