The Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei will unveil a major new commission in Kyiv in Ukraine this autumn. The new piece, entitled Three Perfectly Proportioned Spheres and Camouflage Uniforms Painted White, is “a site-specific response to the escalating armed conflicts threatening the world of today”, says a statement from RIBBON International, the non-profit cultural platform that commissioned it.
The work will be housed in Pavilion 13 (14 September-30 November), a former Soviet-era exposition hall in Kyiv that has been renovated by ФОРМА (FORMA) architecture studio and RIBBON International. Pavilion of Culture, a Kyiv-based institution founded by a community of curators and researchers, is also supporting the project. The space will be free to enter.
“At its core, this exhibition is a dialogue about war and peace, rationality and irrationality,” Ai says in a statement, adding: “I think art is the only way to save humanity from authoritarian and other [kinds] of technical bureaucracy.”
Ai tells The Art Newspaper that the piece consists of three spheres, originally entitled Divina Proportione, which are inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s illustrations for a book on mathematics of the same name.
“I have been crafting such spheres for over 15 years [initially 2004-12],” he says. “Each sphere is covered in camouflage uniforms, fastened together with buttons and assembled into five-sided or six-sided shapes. The spheres vary in size, ranging from more than six metres to three metres, and are interconnected by camouflage trousers.”
“The camouflage uniforms enveloping the spheres are painted white, creating the image of three interconnected white spheres resembling a large white bone,” Ai continues. “Beneath this surface lies a deeper meaning, reflecting the history of civilisation’s development, our collective memories, and the tragic reality that has become widely accepted and continues to unfold in the world today.”
A sphere under construction in Ai Weiwei’s studio
Courtesy of Ai Weiwei Studio
Every piece of camouflage clothing, from its production to its cutting, was designed using patterns inspired by abandoned cats that Ai and his team have rescued and raised. “These cats have lived with us for many years, some of whom have since passed away,” Ai says. “In times of war, animals often suffer the greatest harm, becoming the first victims, yet they are frequently overlooked.”
RIBBON International is also currently hosting the exhibition Pairs Skating (until 28 September) at the Yermilov Centre in Kharkiv, featuring photographs by Wolfgang Tillmans and Boris Mikhailov.
The total number of Ukrainian casualties since Russia's full-scale invasion began on 24 February 2022 has reached approximately 400,000, according to the US-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, while more than one million Russian troops have been killed or injured, according to the British Ministry of Defence.