My choice for art that I believe is activist is a piece named Straight, by Ai Weiwei, a Chinese contemporary artist, and activist. It is made up of 90 tons of steel that were destroyed in the Sichuan earthquake of 2008. This steel was retrieved from the many schools that were obliterated by the earthquake and were thoroughly straightened to create the piece. The steel is sorted to portray the fault line that lies under the province of Sichuan. The aim of this is to commemorate the lives lost, particularly the lives of over 5,000 children attending the schools. Ai Weiwei also directed the purpose of Straight to directly criticize unregulated construction companies and corrupt officials of the Chinese government as the schools were not only poorly built but also built directly on these fault lines that caused the earthquake.
Ai was persecuted for the piece and was detained for several days in prison.
Hi Nassier, I like your choice of art and what it represents perfect example of activism art!!
Thank you for sharing it, Nasser. I think it is ironic that the art piece was made with the materials that are consequences of the criticized subject’s activity. In fact, the sculpture’s large size also strengthens the message by illustrating the scope of these negative consequences.