“The misconception of totalitarianism is that freedom can be imprisoned. This is not the case. When you constrain freedom, freedom will take flight and land on a windowsill.”
— Ai Weiwei
The Chinese artist Ai Weiwei is internationally renowned for work that defies the distinction between art and activism. In this exhibition of new works created specifically for Alcatraz, Ai responded to the island’s layered legacy as a 19th-century military fortress, a notorious federal penitentiary, a site of Native American heritage and protest, and now one of America’s most visited national parks. Revealing new perspectives on Alcatraz, the exhibition raised questions about freedom of expression and human rights that resonated far beyond this particular place.
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Ai Weiwei, With Wind, 2014 (installation detail, New Industries Building, Alcatraz); photo: Jan Stürmann
Ai Weiwei, With Wind, 2014 (installation view, New Industries Building, Alcatraz); photo: Jan Stürmann
Ai Weiwei, With Wind, 2014 (installation detail, New Industries Building, Alcatraz); photo: Jan Stürmann
Ai Weiwei, Trace, 2014 (installation detail, New Industries Building, Alcatraz); photo: Jan Stürmann
Ai Weiwei, Trace, 2014 (installation view, New Industries Building, Alcatraz); photo: Jan Stürmann
Ai Weiwei, Trace, 2014 (detail); photo: Jan Stürmann
Ai Weiwei, Refraction, 2014 (installation view, New Industries Building, Alcatraz); photo: Jan Stürmann
Ai Weiwei, Refraction, 2014 (installation view, New Industries Building, Alcatraz); photo: Jan Stürmann
Ai Weiwei, Refraction, 2014 (installation detail, New Industries Building, Alcatraz); photo: Jan Stürmann
Ai Weiwei, Stay Tuned, 2014 (installation detail, A Block, Alcatraz); photo: Jan Stürmann
Ai Weiwei, Stay Tuned, 2014 (installation detail, A Block, Alcatraz); photo: Jan Stürmann
Ai Weiwei, Blossom, 2014 (installation detail, Alcatraz Hospital); photo: Jan Stürmann
Ai Weiwei, Blossom, 2014 (installation detail, Alcatraz Hospital); photo: Jan Stürmann
Entrance to the psychiatric observation rooms in Alcatraz Hospital, site of Ai Weiwei’s sound installation Illumination, 2014; photo: Jan Stürmann
Psychiatric observation room in Alcatraz Hospital, site of Ai Weiwei’s sound installation Illumination, 2014; photo: Jan Stürmann
Ai Weiwei, Yours Truly, 2014 (installation view, Alcatraz Dining Hall); photo: Jan Stürmann
Ai Weiwei, Yours Truly, 2014 (installation detail, Alcatraz Dining Hall); photo: Jan Stürmann - Behind the Scenes
Exhibition curator Cheryl Haines consults with Ai Weiwei at the artist's studio in Beijing, June 2014; photo: Jan Stürmann
Ai Weiwei and curator Cheryl Haines meet at the artist's studio, with design studies for Trace laid out on the floor; photo: Jan Stürmann
Curator Cheryl Haines and Ai Weiwei discuss preliminary designs for With Wind at the artist's studio in Beijing; photo: Jan Stürmann
A model of Refraction at Ai Weiwei's studio in Beijing; photo: Jan Stürmann
Porcelain flowers for Blossom in preparation at Ai Weiwei's studio in Beijing; photo: Jan Stürmann
Designers assemble portraits for Trace at Ai Weiwei's studio in Beijing; photo: Jan Stürmann
A volunteer assembles a portrait for Trace in San Francisco; photo: Nina Dietzel
Installing Trace in the New Industries Building; photo: Nina Dietzel
Installing Trace in the New Industries Building; photo: Nina Dietzel
Unpacking the porcelain flowers for Blossom in the Hospital; photo: Nina Dietzel
Installing Refraction in the New Industries Building; photo: Nina Dietzel
Installing Refraction in the New Industries Building; photo: Nina Dietzel
The head portion of With Wind suspended in a shipping container outside the New Industries Building; photo: Nina Dietzel
Installing With Wind in the New Industries Building; photo: Nina Dietzel
Curator Cheryl Haines consults with Stay Tuned sound designers in A Block; photo: Nina Dietzel
Ai Weiwei is a Beijing-based artist and activist whose work encompasses sculpture, installation, photography, film, architecture, curation, and social criticism. His art has been featured in major solo exhibitions including Ai Weiwei at Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, UK, 2014; Evidence at the Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin, 2014; and Ai Weiwei: According to What?, which was organized by the Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, in 2009, and traveled to North American venues in 2013–14. Ai collaborated with architects Herzog & de Meuron on the “bird’s nest” stadium for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including Amnesty International’s Ambassador of Conscience Award in 2015.
Support for the exhibition is provided by Roger Evans and Aey Phanachet, the Fisher family, and other generous donors.
FOR-SITE Foundation project team: Cheryl Haines, executive director and exhibition curator; Marnie Burke de Guzman, special projects director; Jackie von Treskow, program director; Alison Konecki, development and outreach associate; Miegan Riddle, development consultant; Jennifer Burke/Industry, visual design; Juliet Clark, writer and editor; Tyler Reed, content manager; Jan Stürmann, video production; Ari Salomon, web developer