whether there were any who doubted Ai Weiwei’s work matched his reputation,this rollercoaster of a show – racing between his time in jail, the Sichuan earthquake and 3000 crabs – should silence them Three-thousand porcelain river crabs clamber over one another in a powerful red, or green and white sprawl of twitching legs and claws. Porcelain sunflower seeds are one thing,crabs another. Good thing they’re not fairly real.
This is but one small moment in the largest show Ai Weiwei has held in Britain. Not exactly a retrospective, it is certainly the best show of his work I possess seen anywhere, and as well as being the best thing I’ve seen at the Royal Academy,London, for years. It is filled with surprises, and shocks and tremors. Its affect is cumulative. Those who possess doubted Ai’s integrity and seriousness (I possess never been among them),or his qualities as an artist, should find plenty to pause at here. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com