Ai Weiwei, in Venice, warns against hubris in ‘troublesome times’ with first glass sculpture
- The sculpture, on display at the deconsecrated church of San Giorgio Maggiore, is titled ‘Memento Mori’ – Latin for Remember You Must Die
- ‘We are talking about immigrants, about deaths, about the war, about many, many issues,’ said the Chinese dissident and artist
Chinese dissident and artist Ai Weiwei warns against hubris with his first glass sculpture, made on the Venetian island of Murano. The artwork’s title is intended as a warning to the world: Memento Mori – or Latin for “Remember You Must Die”.
Ai did not have to search hard for evidence that the planet is in “such a troublesome time”.
Russian bombs are falling daily on Ukraine. China is flexing its military muscle in the Taiwan Strait. Migrants die repeatedly at sea as smugglers’ boats sink. The Earth warms, creating drought, collapsing glaciers and triggering violent storms. The pandemic that killed at least 6.4 million people lingers.
“We are talking about many, many things. We are talking about immigrants, about deaths, about the war, about many, many issues”, Ai said in Venice on Friday.
He stands by his 9-metre (29.5-foot), nearly 3-ton black glass sculpture, which is suspended over the central nave of the church of San Giorgio Maggiore, located opposite Venice’s St Mark’s Square.
