Hamilton College - Exhibitions - Ai Weiwei: Fairytale

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Ai Weiwei: Fairytale

Luggage
Ai Weiwei: Fairytale

Fairytale is a film that documents the most ambitious artwork ever produced for the important international art exhibition Documenta. Documenta began in 1955 in Kassel, Germany as an attempt to rebuild Germany's cultural standing after Nazism. From that politically charged start the project has been organized by new curators every five years with the next scheduled for 2012. Chinese artist, curator, writer, and architect Ai Weiwei was invited by curators Roger Buergel and Ruth Noack to propose an artwork for Documenta 12 in 2007. His "living installation" included inviting 1001 Chinese citizens to visit Kassel between June 12 and July 9, 2007—dates that coincided with the opening events of the exhibition.

On view here for the first time in the United States, Ai Weiwei's film documents the complicated and multi-layered project from conception and brainstorming, assembling the large project team, choosing the 1001 participants (ranging in age from 2–70), creating a special travel agency called FAKE, acquiring travel documents and permissions, raising the 3.1 million Euro budget, designing luggage and furniture, to the visits to Germany. The artist includes footage of the different communities where some of the chosen participants live in China, which in turn presents an uncommon portrait of a country that is extremely diverse by every measure. This portrait highlights some of the many issues that arose, such as what to do when someone doesn't have a passport or even a name.

The exhibition features Qing dynasty wooden chairs (1644–1911) from a group of 1001 chairs that were also on view at Documenta as part of the artwork. After the visits were complete they remained as stand-ins of sorts representing the Chinese visitors for the duration of the exhibition. Also included are examples of the specially designed luggage and several press releases, interviews and reviews that describe the project. Fairytale raises more questions than answers about art, documentary, and most importantly about who we are and how we live today.

Ai Weiwei: Fairytale is organized by Ian Berry, Consulting Director of the Emerson Gallery. The works are on loan courtesy of Leister Foundation, Switzerland; Erlenmeyer Stiftlung, Switzerland; and Galerie Urs Meile, Beijing-Lucerne. Funding for this exhibition comes from The Dietrich Foundation, The John B. Root '44 Exhibition Fund, and The Edward W. and Grace C. Root Endowment Fund.

GALLERY IMAGES

Henry O. Tanner
(American, 1859-1932)
MOONRISE, TANGIER, c. 1912
Oil on plywood, 20 x 24 in.
Collection of the Emerson Gallery, Hamilton College.
Gift of Elihu Root, Jr.

Images Copyright © the artist, their estate, and/or Hamilton College.