Ai Weiwei, off route...
10:53 a.m.
15/02/16 - Ai Weiwei, the Chinese artist most engaged in wide-spreading to the West the past and present culture of his country, is currently displaying on the windows and open areas of the traditional Parisian department store Le Bon Marché.
The Song of White, by Ai Weiwei
Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche, Paris
Entitled "The Song of White", Weiwei (Beijing, 1957) presenta a series of monumental works based on Chinese mythology and poetry.
The Song of White, by Ai Weiwei
Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche, París
Through 22 imaginary creatures (a majestic fantasy, in the words of the artist), Weiwei represents some of the spiritual and fantastic beings that can be found in Chinese mythological writings of more than 2000 years ago. The creatures have hybrid shapes, usually combining human and animal parts. For example, Chuti is a two-headed animal that looks like a horse and has human hands and Niao Shen Long Shou Shen has the body of a bird but the face of a dragon.
Chuti, by Ai Weiwei
Le Bon Marché, Paris
Niao Shen Long Shou Shan, by Ai Weiwei
Le Bon Marché, Paris
Then there`s a strange monkey with its head in his belly who carries a sickle and a hammer in his hands. It's Xingtian who, according to Chinese mythology, lost his head to the Great God. Thus he made for himself a pair of eyes and a mouth on his chest. He raised his hands with his weapons and danced.
Xingtian, by Ai Weiwei
Le Bon Marché, Paris
Another surprising sculpture is Heluo, a fish with one head and ten bodies which, as stated in ancient writings, makes a sound similar to that of an angry dog.
Heluo, by Ai Weiwei - Vista frontal
Le Bon Marché, Paris.
View from the ground floor, next to the flying fish Feiyu
Le Bon Marché, Paris
Lu and Yu come together in the heights of Le Bon Marché. The first one is a fish that looks like an ox with wings and a snake-like tail. The other is a bird that seems a rat.
Lu and Yu, by Ai Weiwei
Le Bon Marché, Paris
Lu, by Ai Weiwei - Frontal view
Le Bon Marché, Paris
With human body and wings, Huantou guo has a beak to fish.
Huantou guo, by Ai Weiwei
Le Bon Marché, Paris
It sounds strange that Ai Weiwei largest exhibition at a French institution is housed in a department store, instead of a museum or gallery. On the other hand, the artist's approach to those mythological characters is rather schematic and even childish. But, at the same time, for those of us from the West, it's a great chance to immerse ourselves into China's culture, guided by an amazing artist.
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