Inclusive.
If I had to choose just one word to describe the exhibition rapture of Ai Weiwei at Cordoaria Nacional, I would choose this one: inclusive.
Yes, we are all upset, we are mentally and physically ill. We are exhausted, without hope, practically shipwrecked in the midst of events and daily news that have deteriorated badly, or that are going very badly, as the Portuguese would say.
Belonging, feeling included and “safe”, even if illusory, has become a type of anchoring need, the most desired.
Upon leaving the exhibition – in ecstasy – I felt welcomed and included.
For those who have already seen it, it may seem like a confusing or strange feeling, after all, almost all the problems we go through are clearly and explicitly present there. Videos of tragic trajectories, refugees around the world, scenes of Chinese repression, landslides and child deaths, wars, environmental catastrophes, pandemics, etc.
Everything that haunts us is on display, wide open. Like the huge marble toilet paper roll, a bizarre symbol of our selfish survival instinct.
These representations should have made me uncomfortable, but they made me feel welcome. All my ghosts are no longer personal. We live in a collective nightmare.
And the only way out is through a sense of community.
The large, massive pieces, crafted by many hands, reinforce the idea that the only chance for success will come from teamwork. Like a sports team on a refugee boat, our strength lies in the collective. Freedom only really exists when everyone is free. There is no other way out.
In addition to showing and portraying our ills, Weiwei invites us to act and reflect.
Art and life are inseparable, however much critics throughout history claim otherwise. Living is a political act and therefore art is always political.
There is no other way.
Inclusion. Collectivity. Freedom.
Yes, everything is political!
How lucky we are to live in a world where Ai Weiwei exists.
The exhibition will be open until November 28, 2021.