Ai Weiwei, Figure and Wheelbarrow for L’Aquila
The wheelbarrow symbol of reconstruction becomes a site-specific artwork created by Ai Weiwei in L’Aquila.
“He saw the wheelbarrow, picked it up, and asked his assistant to take some photographs.” It is from a seemingly simple scene, which took place during Ai Weiwei ‘s visit to L’Aquila last July, that Figure and Wheelbarrow for L’Aquila was born. This is the new site-specific work that the Chinese artist—with the support of the Continua gallery—has created for the city.
Curator Giacinto Di Pietrantonio recounts the project’s genesis , explaining that the choice of Ai Weiwei came after considering which international artist was best suited to address L’Aquila’s recent history. “He seemed to us the most suitable artist to tackle a work for a city that had been hit the following year, in 2009, by a terrible earthquake.”