Ai Weiwei Launches Citywide Installation in New York

Chinese artist and political activist Ai Weiwei's "Good Fences Make Good Neighbors," curated by Public Art Fund director and chief curator Nicholas Baume and associate curator Daniel Palmer, opened this month in New York. Reflecting on his own personal encounter with exile, migration, and political suppression, Ai has created an exhibition that aims to make a statement against today's migration crisis and divided political climate.

The citywide exhibition features more than 300 art installations by the artist, including "Arch," "Gilded Cage," and a series of documentary photographs taken in 2016 during Ai's visits to more than 40 refugee camps in 23 countries, where he filmed his recent documentary Human Flow. As part of this exhibition, Ai uses the urban fabric—public plazas, bus shelters, lamppost banners, and advertisement platforms—to create his interventions and "[draw] attention to the role of the fence in dividing people," according to a press release. An interactive map on the Public Art Fund's website locates each artwork and gives a brief introduction to the history behind each installation.

Located at Washington Square Park, Ai's "Arch" is a cage-like fence made of low-carbon steel that obstructs the triumphal arch's entrance. Using polished stainless steel, Ai created a mirrored sculptural walkway that looks as if it is carved out of the fence. Installed on the 60 St. and Fifth Avenue entrance of Central Park, the round "Gilded Cage," is made out of golden low-carbon steel bars and "[functions] as a structure of both control and display," according to Public Art Fund.

"When I lived in New York in the 80s, I spent much of my time in Washington Square Park. This area was one of New York's most vibrant and diverse neighborhoods—a home to immigrants of all backgrounds," said Ai Weiwei in a press release. "The triumphal arch has been a symbol of victory after war since antiquity. The basic form of a fence or cage suggests that it might inhibit movement through the arch, but instead a passageway cuts through this barrier—a door obstructed, through which another door opens."