26 Jan

“Er Xi” Ai Weiwei Exhibits at Le Bon Marché

From January 16 to February 20, Le Bon Marché will be hosting the exhibition “Er Xi”. Why is this a must-see event?

An exhibition of his photographs was held in Paris at the Jeu de Paume in 2012, but this is the first time Ai Weiwei’s objects have ever been shown in France. So it really is a must-see event.

An Activist Artist Looking at Chinese Society

Ai Weiwei is one of the most important figures in the independent Chinese art scene. Sculptor, performer, photographer and architect, this gentle-faced man of 58 has garnered attention many times for his stances.

Bon Marche 17 01 16 Mr Ai Weiwei et Jack Lang vernissage Expo ER XI Ai Weiwei copyright Say Who

Ai Weiwei and the ex Minister of Culture, Jack Lang, during the inauguration of the exhibition in Le Bon Marché

The artist was unquestionably marked in his childhood by his deportation to a labor camp with his family because his father, the poet Ai Qing, was considered to be an “enemy of the people”.
In 2000, Ai Weiwei presented the “Fuck off” exhibition in Shanghai, with the photo of his giving the finger to the Gate of Heavenly Peace on Tiananmen Square clearly expressing his criticism of the Chinese regime.
In Paris, the Jeu de Paume exhibition showed a series of photos depicting the social and urban reality of China and testifying to the anarchic capitalism that was developing there with no respect for history or culture.
Ai is also very active on social networks and uses Twitter as a platform to express his views on Tiananmen, Tibet, the secret police…
Arrested by the Chinese police on April 3, 2011, ostensibly for tax evasion, he was held incommunicado and disappeared. Released on bail on June 22, 2011, his freedom of speech and intervention were curtailed as a condition of his release. However, Ai Weiwei is thought to have undergone fifty periods of questioning and been forced just as often to record self-criticism in front of the camera.

Chinese mythology and poetry

Le Bon Marché’s two main galleries are the venue for an installation of 22 original works, showing some of the deities and demons from Shanhai Jing (The Classic of Mountains and Seas), an ancient Chinese collection of mythology.

Ai Weiwei - Le Bon Marche

« Heluo »

Ai Weiwei - Le Bon Marche

Dragon

In over 2,000 years, Chinese artists have produced countless woodcuts to illustrate the stories in the book.
Mounting the exhibition was not an easy task. It took seven nights and required the use of machinery designed especially for the exhibition. The works, made of bamboo and tissue paper, are illuminated from the inside and are reminiscent of traditional Chinese lanterns with a touch of poetry.

Le Bon Marché is giving out a charming little coloring book.

Ai Weiwei - coloring book