Ai Weiwei Art Installation Opens In NYC

GREENWICH VILLAGE, NY —A citywide public art exhibit by Ai Weiwei officially opened this week, launching a massive installation with a pointed message about the current migration crisis.

Ai was commissioned by the Public Art Fund to complete the work, titled “Goof Fences Make Good Neighbors.” Ai’s project includes more than 300+ installations of varying size throughout the city, all centered on the visual images of fences and doors.

One of the largest installations is in Washington Square Park in the Village, an area that Ai said was important to him when he lived in New York City.

"When I lived in New York in the 80s, I spent much of my time in Washington Square Park. This area was one of New York's most vibrant and diverse neighborhoods – a home to immigrants of all backgrounds," Ai said in a statement. "The triumphal arch has been a symbol of victory after war since antiquity. The basic form of a fence or cage suggests that it might inhibit movement through the arch, but instead a passageway cuts through this barrier – a door obstructed, through which another door opens."

There are two other installations of the same scale as the one under the Washington Square Arch: One in Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens and another in Central Park.

These three largest pieces are accompanied by nearly 300 additional smaller structures. There are site specific installations as well as add-ons to advertising platforms, including portraits on lamppost banners and images on bus shelters.

The installation will remain up in New York City through Feb. 11.

Image credit: Richard Drew / AP Photo