Social Media has become an everyday aspect of our lives due to the rapid growth of the digital world. It has revolutionized how and why we communicate with others and developed a global platform in which users can share information, images and videos. Artist Ai Weiwei is commonly known for his sculpture and installation work, however the integration of social media in his artwork has recently become a popular aspect of his work, personality and political protests. This essay will discuss his 2014 work ‘Illumination’ and the technology Weiwei used to create and exhibit it.
BP1: ARTWORK
Ai Weiwei’s artwork, titled ‘Illumination’, is a powerful photograph of an important moment in the artist’s life. In 2011 Weiwei was arrested by Chinese police without charge, and detained for 81 days. It was in this moment whilst he was being arrested that Weiwei took a photo of himself on his phone, which he later featured in his 2014 exhibition. The image shows Weiwei holding his phone in a mirror whilst he takes the photo; the cameras flash literally illuminating his face, whilst the people in the background appear almost shaded. Without context, Weiwei’s blaze expression and act of taking a picture of himself do
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Due to his Chinese background, Weiwei has embraced the freedom given to him by social media. His content is
BP3: CONCEPT
Ai Wei Wei’s artwork Illumination is a comment on the Chinese political system and the unethical ways in which it treats it’s citizens. The integration of social media in Illumintation further extends Weiwei’s
His use of social media gives him a platform to show the rest of the world how Chinese officials treat citizens and oppression the Chinese people experience.
-how was the work received
-how did the technology help to make the statement wei is trying to