Ai Weiwei in New York Fotografien 1983-1993 Martin Gropius Bau 15.10.2011-18.3.2012. by craniv boyd.

Ai Weiwei in New York Fotografien 1983-1993 Martin Gropius Bau
15.10.2011-18.3.2012. by craniv boyd.

Arguably one of the better exhibitions that has occurred in Berlin for
some time was the exhibition of photographs taken by the Artist Ai
Weiwei during his ten years of study and residence in New York city.

During the years that Ai Weiwei lived in New York, there was much that
was not good, clean and Disneyland. Much of his photography of the
period shows this gritty side of downtrodden or rather subaltern
pending your inclination, along with the community of poets and
intellectuals that Ai Weiwei surrounded himself with in those years of
which notably Allen Ginsberg.

Much of the images are student work, but to write this fact is a
disservice to both Ai Weiwei, and students of art in New York city,
because what is demonstrated by his long standing process of taking
analog pictures is a commitment to art and art forms, living for the
contemplation of art, and contemplation of art as a way of living life
well. Hard things to achieve by taking a few snapshots.

Predominantly; Weiwei sets up many of his prints as pairs couples and
leaves the sprockets of the Eastman Kodak Tri-Ex film stock apparent
in the final print of his images, hence the pairing and from the
artist, imposed binary structure Weiwei develops a signature print,
and a specific look to his art photography. by craniv boyd.