An extremely exciting exhibition is coming to Florence this Autumn.
Birthplace of the Renaissance and home to endless museums and galleries, the city is one of the greatest places to see art and for art lovers to visit in the world and, now, one of the great pioneers of contemporary art and China's most famous living artist, Ai Weiwei, will be shown in the city.
A dissident artist with a leading voice, Ai Weiwei is known world-wide for his political activism, for questioning international issues and for his challenging on contemporary art practices.
The exhibition, “Ai Weiwei. Libero”, will be the first major retrospective dedicated to the artist in the country and the first to be exhibited across the entirety of the Palazzo Strozzi spaces.
For art lovers visiting Italy, it is just one more reason to choose a luxury villa in Florence.
Birthplace of the Renaissance and home to endless museums and galleries, the city is one of the greatest places to see art and for art lovers to visit in the world and, now, one of the great pioneers of contemporary art and China's most famous living artist, Ai Weiwei, will be shown in the city.
A dissident artist with a leading voice, Ai Weiwei is known world-wide for his political activism, for questioning international issues and for his challenging on contemporary art practices.
The exhibition, “Ai Weiwei. Libero”, will be the first major retrospective dedicated to the artist in the country and the first to be exhibited across the entirety of the Palazzo Strozzi spaces.
For art lovers visiting Italy, it is just one more reason to choose a luxury villa in Florence.
Starting on the 23rd of September 2016 and running until the 22nd of January 2017, the exhibition will present a series of new and major works across the façade of the building, in the courtyard, the piano nobile and the Strozzina gallery.
The exhibition will include key monumental installations, sculptures and objects, as well as videos and photography series produced throughout his career.
These works will come from his years living in New York 1980s and ’90s, to the iconic large-scale works from the early 2000s comprised of found objects such as bicycles and stools and his more recent controversial and very politically engaged works, such as his portraits of political dissidents built with Lego bricks and his responses to the issue of migration in the Mediterranean region.
The exhibition will include key monumental installations, sculptures and objects, as well as videos and photography series produced throughout his career.
These works will come from his years living in New York 1980s and ’90s, to the iconic large-scale works from the early 2000s comprised of found objects such as bicycles and stools and his more recent controversial and very politically engaged works, such as his portraits of political dissidents built with Lego bricks and his responses to the issue of migration in the Mediterranean region.
The show will include Reframe, a new installation made in response to the ongoing refugee crisis that will see 22 inflatable orange boats evoking Italian search-and-rescue missions in the Mediterranean hung across the façade. This piece, that has been funded by the charitable foundation Ente Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze, will symbolise "cultural rescue in this time of international and European crisis", according to curator Arturo Galansino. However, this exhibition won't just be a blockbuster of impressive visuals but will also provide an opportunity to gain an insight into Ai Weiwei's personal narrative, as well, looking at issues such as his relationship with his homeland.
Unlike anything else previously shown in the city, this exhibition is sure to shock, astound and open eyes and is a must-see for anyone planning on visiting Florence or Italy in the next few months.
Unlike anything else previously shown in the city, this exhibition is sure to shock, astound and open eyes and is a must-see for anyone planning on visiting Florence or Italy in the next few months.
Photo credits
Picture 1: Andy Miah / CC BY-SA 2.0;
Picture 2: Freepenguin / CC BY-SA 3.0
Picture 1: Andy Miah / CC BY-SA 2.0;
Picture 2: Freepenguin / CC BY-SA 3.0
