Ai Weiwei: Trace @The Skirball Cultural Center
DETAILS:
Location: 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90049
Exhibition Hours of Operation: The exhibit is on display until August 1st 2021
Weekdays: 12:30PM to 4PM
Weekends: 10:30PM to 4PM
Parking: Free parking lot available.
Cost: $12 GA / $9 Seniors / $7 Children / Free on Thursdays.
Timed reservations required (occurring every 1/2 hr) which you can purchase on their website, provided below under “resources”.
Time Commitment: 30 minutes to 1 hour.
As museums around Los Angeles (and the world) begin to open back up, one of the more stunning and sobering exhibitions newly on display is Ai Weiwei’s Trace at the Skirball Cultural Center (until August 1, 2021). For those unfamiliar with Weiwei’s work, the artist (of Chinese descent and dissent) has forged a long career of using various artistic mediums like painting, sculpture, film & photography to promote social activism across the globe. So much so, he was detained for 81 days in 2011 by the Chinese government without charge for publically objecting to the current regime.
So it goes without saying that Trace is an exhibition (almost too) near & dear to his heart. That’s because Trace, originally presented in 2014 as part of a larger installation at Alcatraz Island in San Fransisco, amazingly uses standard LEGO blocks to recreate the portraits of 83 activists around the world who’ve been detained for their pursuit of social justice, most of whom have done nothing more than voice their disagreement with the policies of their respective governments. Many of the people represented in this exhibition are still detained to this day.
The exhibition is accompanied with a free app where you can read and/or listen to all 83 bios (provided by Amnesty International) of each “patriot” represented in the exhibition as you view their LEGO-based portraits. I often refrain from getting political in my posts because I feel that it only leads to senseless argument and name-calling. The reality is, there’s a lot about this country that needs to be corrected. While it’s undeniable that we’ve made progress throughout the embattled history of this country, it’s also true that it’s come way too slow and at great cost for the many who need it the most. But it’s exhibitions like this that make you appreciate the liberties that we’re granted here in the United States (afforded to EVERYONE that calls this country their home) that we need to both utilize and protect. Rights like the freedom of speech, peaceful assembly, and the ability to petition the government for grievances. Let’s never take that for granted or advantage of.
