Visitors to Art Basel in Miami Beach who stroll past Galleria Continua’s booth this week may experience a moment of surprise when they encounter what seems to be Giorgione’s Supersize Sleeping Venus (1510) from the Renaissance. However, this piece is, in fact, a colossal Lego rendition crafted by activist and performer Ai Weiwei, one of two captivating installations showcased at this year’s event.
Natan Cairati of Continua revealed that Ai has been exploring the realm of Lego since 2014, utilizing this medium to recreate classical masterpieces and weave a narrative bridging the realms of antiquity and modernity. Infused with Ai’s signature political undertones, the artwork features a prominent coat hanger symbol in the corner, alluding to the contentious issue of clandestine abortions—a poignant commentary on the curtailment of rights, particularly those pertaining to women, as noted by Cairati. The intricacy of the piece necessitated its segmentation into ten parts for transport, although its estimated value exceeding €600,000 remains undisclosed by Continua.
On the other hand, Washington Crossing the Delaware (2023), a grand Lego sculpture inspired by Emanuel Leutze’s iconic painting housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, commands attention at Neugerriemschneider’s exhibit. Depicting George Washington’s pivotal crossing of the Delaware River during the Revolutionary War in 1776, the artwork portrays the American forces’ bold strike against the hired Hessian troops. Ai and his dedicated team invested approximately three weeks in assembling this masterpiece, comprising a staggering 350,000 distinct plastic components.
The genesis of this creation stemmed from Ai’s observation of striking parallels between Leutze’s historical tableau and a recent photograph capturing the US Navy retrieving a purported Chinese surveillance balloon from the Atlantic Ocean earlier this year. Infusing the piece with his trademark symbolism, Ai incorporated a poignant juxtaposition—a depiction of Beijing’s National Stadium, colloquially known as the Birds Nest, a structure he contributed to styling for the 2008 Olympic Games. Initially hailed as a symbol of China’s embrace of liberal ideals, Ai expressed disillusionment as stringent security measures enveloped the event, lamenting the pervasive state surveillance prevalent across China.
A spokesperson from Neugerriemschneider expounded on the significance of this Lego replica, underscoring its thematic resonance with Leutze’s original artwork as a testament to the triumph of democracy over authoritarian rule and the clash of divergent political ideologies. While the museum refrained from disclosing the artwork’s valuation or sales status, the piece stands as a profound embodiment of historical and contemporary dialogues encapsulated within the vibrant world of contemporary art.
