Download Ai Weiwei: According to What? at the Hirshhorn Museum and

Ai Weiwei: According to What? at the
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture
Garden, Washington D.C., 2012.

As you enter the exhibit at
the Hirshhorn, you are
immediately met with the
sound of students’ names
being read aloud in a
recording broadcasted
overhead. The names are
also written in Chinese
along the wall. Ai Weiwei
has compiled a list of over
5,200 names of students
killed in what he calls
“tofu” or shoddily
constructed schools during
the 2008 earthquake.
What message is he
sending to the government
about their response to
this disaster?
Backpacks
names

This snake, made
from backpacks, is at
the entrance of the
Hirshhorn exhibit.
Each backpack
represents a student
who lost their life in
the Sichuan
earthquake in 2008.
What message is Ai
Weiwei conveying
about the
government’s
handling of this
disaster?
Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn, 1995/2009; Colored Vases, 2007-2010.
What kind of message is Ai Weiwei sending about the role of ancient and
modern culture in China by dropping and coloring traditional Chinese vases?


Map of China, 2008
Using traditional Chinese
techniques, this
sculpture is a map of
China made of salvaged
wood from dismantled
Qing Dynasty. The work
can be understood as a
symbol of the unity of
many diverse thoughts,
ideas, and individuals
found in China.
He Xie,
2010
 What
message is
Ai Weiwei
sending
about
internet
censorship
?


Surveillance
Camera, 2010
How does this
represent Ai
Weiwei’s
experiences with
the Chinese
government?
Why did Ai Weiwei create such
controversial pieces of art? Would
his message be similar or different if
it were projected through writings?
Discuss.