Man in a cube
Man in a cube is a contemporary sculpture created by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei in 2017 for the exhibition Luther and the Avant-Garde marking the quincentenary of the Reformation. It has been on permanent display in the courtyard of Lutherhaus Eisenach since October 2020.[1]
Description
The sculpture consists of two concrete slabs (je 150 x 105 x 52 cm) aligned parallel to each other. The sides facing each other produce a cavity with the form of a seated man. The figure’s face bears the artist’s features.
Background
With man in a cube, Ai Weiwei is dealing with the oppressive experiences of his eighty-one day secret imprisonment by authorities in the
Original Display (2017)
The sculpture was created in 2017 for the exhibition Luther and the Avant-Garde in
Permanent Display (since 2020)
The Stiftung Lutherhaus Eisenach had endeavored since 2017 to make the sculpture and “exceptional manifestation of contemporary Reformation commemoration”[5] permanently accessible to the public. Supported by numerous backers, the museum finally succeeded in acquiring the sculpture in 2019. Man in a cube was permanently installed in the courtyard of the Lutherhaus in August of 2020, the quincentenary of Luther’s On the Freedom of a Christian, and presented to the public in a ceremony on October 9, 2020.[6]
External links
- Article about “Man in a cube” on the Website of the Lutherhaus Eisenach
- Ai Weiwei about “Man in a cube”
- Installation of “Man in a cube” at the Lutherhaus Eisenach
References
- ^ Skulptur von Ai Weiwei dauerhaft im Lutherhaus Eisenach. Süddeutsche Zeitung online, October 9, 2020 (in German). Retrieved September 28, 2021.
- ^ Simon Denyer:"Chinese artist Ai Weiwei arrested in ongoing government crackdown". The Washington Post, April 3, 2011. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
- ^ Ai Weiwei, cit. in: Walter Smerling: Ai Weiwei, In: Walter Smerling (Ed.): Luther und die Avantgarde. Zeitgenössische Kunst im alten Gefängnis in Wittenberg mit Sonderpräsentationen in Berlin und Kassel. Wienand: Cologne 2017, p. 66.
- ^ Kunst im Knast – oder Luther und die Avantgarde!, at: Official Website Luther 2017 to the quincentenary of the Reformation 2017 (in German).
- ^ Norman Meißner: Großes Zeugnis zeitgenössischer Reformationserinnerung in Eisenach, in: Thüringer Allgemeine, October 5, 2021 (in German). Retrieved September 28, 2021.
- ^ Eisenach präsentiert Lutherjahr-Skulptur von Ai Weiwei, in: Die Zeit online, October 2, 2020 (in German). Retrieved September 28, 2021.