AI WEIWEI AT MEIJER GARDENS: NATURAL STATE January 27—August 20, 2017 Seemingly contrasting themes of tradition and modernity are critical to the work of MEMBER HIGHLIGHTS: Ai Weiwei. The Chinese-born artist and activist is internationally heralded as one of the Society Preview most important cultural figures of our time. He champions free speech and global human Wednesday, January 25, 6–8 pm rights through his sculpture, installations, film, photography—and his widely followed social By invitation only. media presence. In the last year alone, he has mounted critically acclaimed exhibitions in Member Opening London, Helsinki, Paris, Melbourne, Florence and New York. His work, through a never- Thursday, January 26, 6–8 pm ending variety of materials and forms, communicates important concepts about his life, his Don’t miss the member opening for this landmark homeland and the world. exhibition from Ai Weiwei, one of the definitive cultural Ai Weiwei at Meijer Gardens: Natural State marks the artist’s first exhibition at voices for the 21st century. In his first-ever exhibition in a botanic garden and sculpture park, the artist will a botanical garden and sculpture park anywhere in the world, and his premier solo utilize many aspects of our building, including the presentation in the upper Midwest. Working with both the sculpture and horticulture galleries, conservatories and public spaces. departments at Meijer Gardens over the last two years, Ai Weiwei has carefully developed a large-scale exhibition intended to share profound ideas through innovative artwork. In addition to four sculpture galleries, the artist will use four conservatories and numerous PROGRAMMING public areas of the building. Combined, it’s an exhibition of unprecedented scope, FILM SCREENING AND DISCUSSION presenting both iconic and recently created work. Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry The title of the exhibition, Ai Weiwei at Meijer Gardens: Natural State, underscores the Tuesday, March 7, 7 pm relationship between artist and institution. It began in 2014 with the acquisition of the colossal Fee: Included with admission Join John Serba, film critic at MLive Media Group, and sculpture Iron Tree, a gift of Fred and Lena Meijer. Further, it calls attention to the unique Joseph Becherer, Meijer Gardens Chief Curator and circumstances in the artist’s generous decision to exhibit at an organization whose mission is Vice President, for a screening of Alison Klayman’s award- dually focused on horticulture and sculpture. Ai Weiwei and his studio teams in Beijing and winning documentary, Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival to critical acclaim. Berlin have worked diligently and sensitively to engage with the whole of Meijer Gardens. It documents five years of Ai Weiwei’s life and work, from The word “natural” sheds light on numerous instances in which the artist will use imagery his designs for the Beijing Olympics, the devastating from the natural world to introduce persuasive ideas and concerns. From meticulously earthquake in Sichuan, to his detention by Chinese authorities in 2011. The film will be introduced, screened rendered flowers to legions of painstakingly crafted river crabs, references to nature are and discussed with the audience, and contains some scenes employed to engage the viewer, leading them to consider important concepts. Although that may be offensive to some viewers. RSVP to [email protected] or 616-974-5225. well known for his use of found objects, the word “natural” also calls attention to Ai Weiwei’s thoughtful use of natural materials, from ceramics and silk to bamboo and wood. Often these natural materials are transformed, following time-honored Chinese craft traditions. Likewise, the word “state” suggests multiple, often interrelated levels of meaning. On the one hand, it may convey a state of being for both a found object or material that the artist uses in a new and innovative way. For example, an ancient urn or a LEGO brick exists in a specific state when the artist encountered them, but he often re-employs them in a new manner to guide and communicate with his audience. A state of being has a human side as well, thematically exploring aspects of humanity across the globe as they are frequently marked by inequality and injustice. These are states of being that the artist feels compelled to call out in order to better the lives of women, men and children everywhere.
Ai Weiwei at Meijer Gardens: Natural State is made possible by Certainly the notion of state refers to political systems that Ai Weiwei has bravely challenged for the betterment of humanity in his native China, but also in the Middle East, PRESENTING SPONSOR: Daniel and Pamella DeVos Foundation Europe and Africa, where he has travelled extensively in recent years. “Today the whole world is still struggling for freedom,” says the artist. “In such a situation, only art can reveal ADDITIONAL SUPPORT: Mary Ann Keeler the deep inner voice of every individual with no concern for political borders, nationality, The Padnos Family race or religion.” The Louis & Helen Padnos Foundation Ai Weiwei at Meijer Gardens: Natural State explores several important themes across the The Meijer Foundation artist’s repertoire. Among the most widespread and engaging are those that involve his own Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Foundation biography. Born in Beijing in 1957, he is the son of the renowned poet Ai Qing (1910–1996). In Botanic and Sculpture Societies of Ai Weiwei. Taifeng, 2015. Bamboo and silk. Photo courtesy of Ai Weiwei Studio. Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park the following year, his father was labeled an “enemy of the people” and the entire family was
6 SCULPTURE EXHIBITION SCULPTURE EXHIBITION 7 exiled to a re-education camp in remote northwestern China. The young Ai Weiwei spent the deaths of thousands of schoolchildren in collapsed buildings that were marked by substandard government construction. His his entire youth until the age of 19 living in the very conditions symbolic of the alienation of involvement led to his censorship by the Chinese government, his arrest and his subsequent beating. Understanding free speech in Maoist China. With the death of Mao Zedong in 1976, the family was able to Illumination is perhaps among the most poignant images in the exhibition. With extraordinary presence of mind, Ai Weiwei captured return to Beijing. a “selfie” at the time of his arrest and later tweeted it to the world. The title suggests a moment of light, enlightenment and clarity that was Contemporary Ai Weiwei enrolled in the Beijing Film Academy in 1978 and was among the original critical to share. In the years following, he was closely monitored by Chinese officials, climaxing in his secret arrest on April 3, 2011 and his members of the avant-garde collective known as the “Stars.” Following a brief period of imprisonment for 81 days. Although released, his passport was confiscated and he was unable to travel until July 2015. Art Lectures political openness in China, there was a repression of expression and cultural crackdown, Several of the works on display in the Meijer Gardens exhibition symbolically narrate personal events that have a broader, even and the young artist left for America in 1981. After a brief period in Philadelphia, the artist universal importance. The extraordinarily crafted porcelain sculpture Bicycle Basket with Flowers in Porcelain is among them. Beginning Are you curious about lived in New York until 1993. Here, his interest in photography brought him close to the in November 2013, Ai Weiwei placed a bouquet of fresh flowers in the basket of his bicycle outside his Beijing studio and continued contemporary art? Do you most compelling social and political issues of the day. Additionally, he was exposed to the this action every day until his passport was returned. A personally poetic act of symbolic beauty was a show of defiance against state find it challenging or puzzling work of three of the most important artists of the 20th century: Marcel Duchamp, Jasper repression at large. This sculpture and related photography are among those that commemorate a daily activity in more permanent terms. and want to learn more? Johns and Andy Warhol. Each a conceptual master, they are celebrated for the use of found However, the sculpture is equally a visual tour de force for the traditional Chinese craftsmanship of porcelain, which dates back Join us for three lectures objects or popular culture, greatly influencing Ai Weiwei through to the present day. centuries in Jingdezhen, the ancient capital of fine porcelain ware. Similarly, the breathtaking sculptural fieldBlossom never fails to that will bring ideas about When his father fell seriously ill in 1993, Ai Weiwei returned to China. But after 12 years astonish the eye, but ultimately its connection to the “Hundred Flowers Movement,” when Chinese officials briefly relaxed their stance contemporary art into focus. in the United States, he confronted a Chinese society that lacked freedom of speech and on freedom of expression in 1956, cannot be denied. The work, like the movement itself, is beautiful but fragile. No registration required. constrained fundamental human rights. He embarked on an intense period of writing The balance between visual delight or intrigue and multiple layers of meaning is what sets Ai Weiwei apart from many of his and publishing, as well as organizing and presenting performances and exhibitions that contemporaries and continually captures the attention of the international cultural community. He Xie, another major work in porcelain, Shocking, Surprising, and Subtle: You Call that Art? examined the duality of belonging and rebellion. In 1995, the artist created Dropping a astounds even the most casual viewer with hundreds of life-like river crabs. At one level, the installation refers to a critical moment when Sunday, March 26, 2 pm Sue Eberle, Ph.D., Professor of Art History, Kendall College of Art and Design If audiences expect traditional craft and long-accepted practices like painting and sculpture, contemporary art can seem daunting and frustrating. Join us as we look at five iconic pieces of contemporary art, including one by Ai Weiwei, that defy classical definitions of acceptable art and design. Discover how artistic intent, experimentation with materials, and new definitions of aesthetics have helped shape the current art scene.
Conceptual Art: What’s The Big Idea? Tuesday, April 25, 7 pm Elizabeth Van Arragon, Ph.D., Contemporary Art Historian All good art, in some way, is based on a sound idea. But what happens when the idea is the art? Although it may be complex, conceptual art need not be confusing. Join us as we discover the work of several conceptual artists, including Ai Weiwei, who place the importance of the idea over the material object. Spark your interest in conceptual art and further your understanding of art as the idea.
The Artist as Activist Sunday, May 21, 2 pm
Caitlín Doherty, Curator and Deputy Ai Weiwei. Illumination, 2009. Color photograph. Photo courtesy of Ai Weiwei Studio. Ai Weiwei. He Xie, 2010. Porcelain. Photo courtesy of Ai Weiwei Studio. Director of Curatorial Affairs at the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at Han Dynasty Urn. This triptych of large-scale photographs symbolically challenges the the artist was placed under house arrest while his new studio was demolished by authorities. But in an act of defiance, the artist treated Michigan State University repressive cultural history of China in 20th cum 21st centuries through the destruction of 800 guests to a feast of river crabs. At a broader, cultural level, he xie means “river crab” and is a homonym for “harmony” in Chinese, a Artists do not exist in a vacuum—they are part of a society. And often they are responding a 2,000-year-old vase. The Meijer Gardens’ 2016 version has been recreated with innocent government slogan which has come to mean “censorship,” especially with regard to the internet. to their context and contributing to wider and globally ever-present LEGO bricks, which the artist has utilized in recent years. The use The artist’s regard for traditional Chinese culture can be lyrical as well, as featured in five colossal creatures made from bamboo and conversations that question the social values, of found objects recalls the impact of Duchamp and Johns, while the use of popular culture silk. Each fantastical form was inspired by the artist’s adult reading of the 2000-year-old Chinese mythology, Classic of Mountains and expectations, and conventions that are part of their everyday lives. Politically charged, items are a hallmark to the work of Warhol. Seas—which he was unable to read as a youth. Masterpieces like Taifeng, the god of luck, mesmerize in innovative form and scale, but cathartic, antagonistic, or reflective, artists By the late 1990s, Ai Weiwei developed skills as an architect, eventually collaborating also captivate through the adaptation of traditional Chinese kite making techniques from Weifang, Shandong Province. such as Ai Weiwei probe, challenge, and seek to create something new and positive. They play a with the firm Herzog and DeMeuron on the “Bird’s Nest” stadium for the 2008 Beijing Ai Weiwei at Meijer Gardens: Natural State is an unprecedented exhibition in scale and meaning, with more than 30 works by one distinct role as both artist and activist, at times Olympics. This was an extremely important period for the artist. In 2008, he was a signatory of the most distinguished artists of our time. From galleries to conservatories, from public spaces to our auditorium, the transformation even without meaning to. of the 60th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights and used his acclaim and of Meijer Gardens will be unlike any other project for the organization. In sharing his biography, ideas and concerns for freedom of For additonal Ai Weiwei programming, see page 19. social media savvy as an activist. This period was also marked by the devastating Sichuan speech and human rights, Ai Weiwei is truly a global leader. His sculptures, installations, photography and film engage, challenge, and Province earthquake. The disaster led the artist to organize volunteers to investigate astonish—and remind us that “Art is not an end, but a beginning.”
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