Entitled ‘The Law of the Journey’, Ai’s exhibition is his largest to date, comprising of a series of works that trace his time spent in refugee camps – over 40 in total – over the past year. At the exhibition’s center is a giant installation taking the form of a black, 230-feet long boat transporting 258 figures with no faces, representing refugees. The location is fraught with meaning, given the Czech Republic’s rejection Running until January 7, 2018, the exhibition also includes the installations “Snake Ceiling”, a tribute to over 5,000 children who were killed during the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, and “Laundromat”, which features clothing collected from a refugee camp. “There’s no refugee crisis, but only human crisis… In dealing with refugees we’ve lost our very basic values,” says Ai. “In this time of uncertainty, we need more tolerance, compassion and trust for each other, since we all are one.”
