Ai Weiwei at Mary Boone Gallery

Ai WeiWei, He Xie (river crab), installation at Mary Boone Gallery, 745 Fifth Ave, 2012.
Ai WeiWei, He Xie (river crab), installation at Mary Boone Gallery, 745 Fifth Ave, 2012.

In Chinese, ‘river crab’ sounds like a euphemistic term used to describe censorship, so when artist and human rights activist Ai Weiwei learned in 2010 that his newly built studio was to be demolished by the local government, he hosted a protest feast at which 10,000 river crabs were served. This installation of 2,500 handmade ceramic crabs at Mary Boone Gallery’s Fifth Ave & 57th Street space recalls that event and demonstrates WeiWei’s insuppressible resistance. (Through Dec 21st.)

Ai Weiwei, He Xie detail, 2012.
Ai Weiwei, He Xie detail, 2012.