| Ai Weiwei 2008March 8, 2008- April 26, 2008Reception: March 8, 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Ai WeiweiDescending Light (WORK IN PROGRESS) (2007) COURTESY: MARY BOONE GALLERY, NEW YORK. | Ai WeiweiDescending Light (WORK IN PROGRESS) (2007) COURTESY: MARY BOONE GALLERY, NEW YORK. |
This will be the first major exhibition in New York by this influential Chinese contemporary artist, who, through his diverse body of work, distills that nation’s restless cultural, social, and political order.
As the centerpiece of the show, Ai Weiwei has created “Descending Light”,
an adaptation of his iconic chandelier form that here appears to have buckled by the violent impact of its fall. Lying askew on the ground,
the fixture’s colossal structural rings remain festooned with strands of red crystals illuminated from within. With its brilliant red, emblematic of China, the work at once conveys the toppling of established order and the burning promise of the future.
Illumination, at 541 West 24 Street, is on view through 26 April 2008.
An illustrated catalogue of the exhibition, with an essay and conversation with the artist by the show’s curator, Karen Smith, will be available.
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