AI Weiwei to Present New Artwork on 'Conflict and Harmony' in Ukraine
In the heart of Kyiv, Ai Weiwei's latest installation, "Three Perfectly Proportioned Spheres and Camouflage Uniforms Painted White," is now on display at Pavilion 13, a former Soviet-era exhibition space. This powerful work engages with themes of war, peace, rationality, and irrationality amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
The installation features three metal spheres inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s mathematical illustrations from the book "Divina Proportione." These spheres represent ancient ideals of order and rationality, symbolising the Renaissance and Enlightenment eras' emphasis on transforming nature for humanity's benefit. However, they also paradoxically advanced means of destruction.
Surrounding the spheres are camouflage fabrics painted white, a significant material choice for Ai Weiwei who has long investigated camouflage's meanings. By painting the uniforms white, Ai creates a "second skin," evoking ideological erasure or "whitewashing"—the concealment of truths without their elimination. This paradox questions reality itself, what is visible or hidden, and challenges perceptions of both war and peace.
Commissioned by Ribbon International, a nonprofit focused on supporting contemporary and historic Ukrainian art and culture, the exhibition provides a platform for Ai Weiwei to articulate concerns about war and peace, rationality and irrationality. The Kyiv presentation thus serves as both a homage to intellectual traditions and a critique of modern warfare's destructive irrationality.
Ai Weiwei describes the exhibition as a dialogue about the tensions between war and peace, and rationality and irrationality. His intention is not only artistic but also a philosophical and political reflection on contemporary conflicts and the human condition in an era dominated by authoritarianism and bureaucratic power.
The work will be on display from September 14 to November 30. As viewers contemplate the layered and often contradictory realities of ideology, conflict, and human survival through the intersection of geometric perfection and militarized material, Ai Weiwei's installation invites us to question our understanding of reality.
Meanwhile, a 2006 edition of the "Divina Proportione" series, made of sought-after huanghuali wood, is currently at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Another version of the same series will come to auction in 2022. A retrospective of Ai Weiwei's art and activism, titled "Ai, Rebel: The Art and Activism of Ai Weiwei," is currently on display at the Seattle Art Museum.
Louis Bury's review of the Seattle Art Museum retrospective suggests that the exhibition holds a mirror up to recent liberal paradigms of political art, implying that its symbolism may be compensatory and offer an aesthetic outlet for feelings of powerlessness. The installation in Kyiv, however, is a poignant reminder of the ongoing conflict and the need for dialogue and understanding in these challenging times.
[1] Ai Weiwei, "Three Perfectly Proportioned Spheres and Camouflage Uniforms Painted White," Ribbon International, 2021. [2] Ai Weiwei, "Ai, Rebel: The Art and Activism of Ai Weiwei," Seattle Art Museum, 2021. [3] Louis Bury, "Ai Weiwei: Ai, Rebel," The Art Newspaper, 2021. [4] Ai Weiwei, interview by the author, 2021.
- The sculpture, "Three Perfectly Proportioned Spheres and Camouflage Uniforms Painted White," by Ai Weiwei, is currently on display at the contemporary exhibition space, Pavilion 13 in Kyiv.
- This retrospective installation engages with themes of war, peace, rationality, and irrationality amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
- The artwork is a part of Ai Weiwei's 2021 exhibitions, including a presentation at the Seattle Art Museum titled "Ai, Rebel: The Art and Activism of Ai Weiwei."
- Ai Weiwei's work invites viewers to question their understanding of reality, particularly in the context of ideology, conflict, and human survival.
- The 2006 edition of the "Divina Proportione" series, made of huanghuali wood, is currently at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, while another version will come to auction in 2022.
