In his biggest LEGO work to date, Ai Weiwei recreates one of Claude Monet’s most famous paintings – Colossal



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#Ai Weiwei #art history #impressionism #Lego

Known for incorporating recognizable everyday objects into monumental sculptures, Ai Weiwei (previously) has created acclaimed installations using bicycles, life jackets, seeds and porcelain flowers that often challenge political issues such as social unrest in his native China, the world’s refugee crisis and themes of freedom and freedom of expression. Since 2014 he has used LEGO as a medium, but not without controversy along the way due to the political nature of his work. Now Ai has completed his biggest LEGO piece to date in a recreation of “Water Lilies”, one of French Impressionist artist Claude Monet’s most iconic works.

by Monet water lilies The series was inspired by the artist’s garden in Giverny, France, with a walkway over a pond teeming with wild animals. This idyllic setting was designed and created by Monet himself who, at the turn of the 20th century, partially hijacked nearby Epte in order to bring his vision to life. Ai challenges our perceptions of natural beauty and reality, replacing brushstrokes with plastic bricks reminiscent of digital pixels, using a more saturated color palette and incorporating shadows that evoke a hint of unease.

Both accessible and recognizable, LEGO allows Ai to tackle difficult subjects in a more accessible format. On the right side, he placed a dark portal depicting the door to the underground dugout in Xinjiang province where he and his father, Ai Qing, lived in forced exile in the 1960s.

Composed of nearly 650,000 pieces available in 22 colors, “Nymphéas #1” is part of Ai Weiwei: Giving meaning, next exhibition of the artist at the Design Museum. which runs from April 7 to July 30 in London. Follow more updates on Instagram.

#Ai Weiwei #art history #impressionism #Lego

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