By Xiu Ying, Contributing Reporter
BELO HORIZONTE, BRAZIL – The exhibition Raiz, by world-renowned Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, enters its final stretch in Belo Horizonte and can be seen until next Monday (April 15) at Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil.
The exhibition features classics as well as unpublished works created when the artist and activist spent time in Brazil.
Political subversion, the drama of refugees, and the contrast of visions between the West and the East are represented in the exhibition.
The invitation to spend time in Brazil came from the curator of the show, Marcello Dantas, in 2011, but the experience in Brazilian lands had to be postponed.
Known for controversial works that use taboos and political denunciations as a theme, Weiwei was arrested by the Chinese government and had his passport withheld for four years. The project was suspended, resumed in 2015, and completed in 2018.
When his passport was withheld, the artist created a campaign to recover it, photographing flowers in the basket of a bicycle parked in front of his atelier. In the show, one of the works recalls this initiative.
Another allusion to bicycles is displayed outside the museum. The “Forever Bicycles” installation combines over 1,200 bicycles which fit into each other forming an installation. The work is related to the artist’s childhood in China.
Weiwei was born in the 1950s, when his father, the poet Ai Qing, was in Brazil and became friends with Jorge Amado. Upon his return to China, the writer brought the seeds known as dragon-eye to his son.
When Weiwei came to Brazil, he found the seed and applied it to “Two Figures,” which can be seen right at the entrance of the cultural center.
Other seeds in Raiz are those of the sunflower. Although they look real, they are were handmade out of porcelain. In Belo Horizonte, the work has two tons of seeds.
The show can be seen from 10 am to 10 pm. Twice a day, educators invite the public to discuss the exhibition in mediated visits.
The public also has mediated visits in sign language on Wednesday at 3 pm, and on Friday and Sunday at 6 pm. To participate, one must arrive 15 minutes early. Admission is free.