Ai Weiwei will be exhibiting some of his sculptures in ‘a sort of field’ at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, near Wakefield, in Yorkshire from 24 May to 2 November 2014. Don’t miss it.
His sculptures are impressive and thought provoking. Among the pieces being exhibited is the Iron Tree.
The Iron Tree is “the largest and most complex sculpture to date in the artist’s tree series, which he began in 2009. Inspired by the wood sold by street vendors in Jingdezhen, southern China, Ai’s trees are constructed from branches, roots and trunks from different trees.
Although like a living tree in form, the sculptures are obviously pieced and joined together, being all the more poignant for their lack of life. iron tree comprises 99 elements cast in iron from parts of trees, and interlocked using a classic – and here exaggerated – Chinese method of joining, with prominent nuts and screws. Combining both the natural and crafted, the sculpture will rust over time and its installation in the secluded chapel garden makes a meditative space that gives pause for thought and is a powerful reminder of the cycles of nature.” artlyst, 17 April 2014.
Article written by Steve Cox on April 18, 2014