Ahead of Ai Weiwei’s latest showing at the Brooklyn Museum, Shepard Fairey has produced a brand new print as a tribute to the influential Chinese artist. In using his signature style, Fairey chose to reimagine a 2009 portrait of Weiwei in which we see a large surgical scar on the activist’s scalp. This photo alludes to a time in 2009 when he required emergency brain surgery as a result of being beaten by the police for investigating the Sichuan earthquake and student casualties of 2008. The project itself was put in place with the help of Friends of Ai Weiwei to not only make people aware of his legal status, but to also support their efforts in promoting free speech and other artistic initiatives. With only 350 produced, the museum will be selling 100 of these prints while the exhibit runs from April 18 to August 10.
Author: Robert Marshall
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