documenta 12 2007 news - Ai Weiwei

1,001 Chinese as living art in Germany

For the most expensive single artwork in the 52-year history of the Documenta expo, Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has invited 1001 of his compatriots …
The Chinese visitors are kitted out just like world tourists anywhere: shorts, t-shirts, comfortable shoes, purses secured to belts or wrists and with their own bottles of water. All of them have digital cameras and take shutterbug pictures of everything memorable and even not memorable. But these are no tourists. They are art. For the most expensive single artwork in the 52-year history of the Documenta expo, Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has invited 1,001 of his compatriots to perform in Kassel as part of his piece Fairytale.As far as Ai has revealed, they do not have to do anything, just be in Kassel. The rooms are divided up with sheets of white cloth, resembling a temporary military hospital.In each of the resulting cubicles, there are five beds on each side with a narrow table between the two rows. A bowl of apples, bottles of water and Chinese newspapers are on the table.There is a 'little privacy', admitted Ai. Literally so! A space smaller than a telephone callbox has been created in a corner of each cubicle with a chair and reading lamp inside.The arrival of about 100 journalists sweeps away all vestiges of privacy, with curtains opened and TV cameras aimed at the performers.'It's all right. We are a work of art,' said Gong Tran of Beijing philosophically. She did not find the situation upsetting. It was far too interesting for that. And she had always wanted to visit Germany.