Ai Weiwei: #SafePassage

As a political refugee who lived under constant government surveillance, the artist feels related to the growing influx of refugees attempting to enter Europe. Since his first visit to the Greek island of Lesbos in December 2015, he and his team have travelled to refugee camps all around the Mediterranean, including in Syria, Turkey, Italy, Israel and France.

The exhibition “#SafePassage“ in Foam will deal with the fate of the individual versus the overruling systems of society, switching from Ai Weiwei’s personal experiences as a refugee of the Chinese Government, to the hundreds of thousands refugees and migrants who risked their lives to reach Europe, only to find their path barred by a succession of border closures.

Alongside marble sculptures and films, Ai Weiwei will cover the walls of Foam with thousands of photographs taken on his mobile phone. This immense collage will reflect on all the personal encounters the artist has had with individuals and the tragic situation unfolding in the Mediterranean, bringing to our attention what is, in his own words, “the biggest, most shameful humanitarian crisis since World War II”.

The exhibition is subsequent to Foam Magazine #43, released in December 2015 and titled Freedom of Expression under Surveillance. Ai Weiwei himself was the guest editor and the central point of this magazine issue.