Art21 Lesson Plan

Big Idea: Change

Artist: Ai Weiwei

I think I’m interested in art because art is always dealing with new possibilities. --------- Ai Weiwei

Discussion Before Viewing:

1. Can artist, works of art, or writers, and works of literature provoke change or transform our thinking? How?

2. How are transformations of people, places, and things documented?

Watch the video about Ai Weiwei:

http://www.pbs.org/art21/watch-now/episode-change from chapter10 (39:24)

Discussion After Viewing:

1. What kinds of change are illustrated in this episode?

2. Which works ask the viewer to consider a specific kind of change?

3.  Why has Ai Weiwei chosen his particular subject? What do these subjects communicate to viewer?

4. How does Ai Weiwei document the transformation and change of physical materials, places, and even ways of thinking?

5. How does Ai Weiwei work with transformation and change in multiple ways and how does collaboration affect the art created?

Introduce Ai Weiwei with the image of his artworks, and Analysis the Questions Above.

Ai Weiwei was born in Beijing, China in 1957. An outspoken human rights activist, Ai was arrested by Chinese authorities in April 2011 and held incommunicado for three months. Upon his release, he was prohibited from traveling abroad, engaging in public speech, and was subjected to continued government surveillance. Ai’s position as a provocateur and dissident artist informs the tenor and reception of much of his recent work. He infuses his sculptures, photographs, and public artworks with political conviction and personal poetry, often making use of recognizable and historic Chinese art forms in critical examinations of a host of contemporary Chinese political and social issues. In his sculptural works he often uses reclaimed materials—ancient pottery and wood from destroyed temples —in a conceptual gesture that connects tradition with contemporary social concerns. He also employs sarcasm, juxtaposition, and repetition to reinvigorate the potency and symbolism of traditional images and to reframe the familiar with minimal means. A writer and curator, Ai extends his practice across multiple disciplines and through social media to communicate with a global public and to engage fellow artists with projects on a massive scale.

surveillance camera

untitled divina

zodiac heads pulitzer

descending light

sunflower seeds

Activity:

1. Find other artworks present the big idea of change.

2.Compare the different way of solving the problem of change or transformation.

3. If it were you artwork, how will you express the big idea of change? Use the way you like (drawing, painting, photography and whatever you want)  to create your own work.