ai weiwei brings bicycles, boats and bold political statements to buenos aires

from now thorough april 2, 2018, fundación PROA in buenos aires is presenting a monumental exhibition dedicated to public work and urban interventions of ai weiwei. photographed by gonzalo viramonte, ‘inoculation’ brings together some of the chinese artist’s largest and most recognizable installations, objects, photographs and videos to date, each engaging with political and socially-significant ideas. the exhibition offers a broad overview of ai weiwei’s most iconic works, and a personal account of his intense and prolific career.

all images by gonzalo viramonte

photographer and architect gonzalo viramonte snapped dramatic images of some of the indoor and outdoor installations featured as part of ‘inoculation’. at the entrance to fundación PROA is ai weiwei’s ‘forever bicycles’, towering overhead, generating an interplay of steel, light and shadow on the sidewalk surrounding. inside works like ‘he xie’ — a collection of hundreds of porcelain crabs — and ‘sunflower seeds’ — a colossal arrangement of handmade porcelain seeds — take shape within the gallery, each highlighting societal themes such as freedom of expression, human rights and economic exploitation.

‘inoculation’, curated by marcello dantas, offers visitors the opportunity to explore ai weiwei’s personal narrative, and provides a critical vision of the artist’s ambiguous relationship with his native china and western political ideas.