Ai Weiwei Straps 22 Rubber Life Boats Onto Florence's Palazzo Strozzi
As part of a massive exhibition dubbed “Libero.”
This past July, subversive Chinese artist Ai Weiwei unveiled his life vest installation in Vienna, Austria. Now, the newly appointed structure for his latest controversial artwork is the historic Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, Italy. As part of his forthcoming exhibition called “Libero,” the artist installed 22 rubber life boats on the palace’s facade—substituting the large renaissance windows for huge orange life rafts that implore passersby to think about Syria’s refugee crisis. As a whole, the exhibition will take over the main floor and the courtyard of the building. It will spotlight a series of other politically-charged installations, sculptures and various types of media that reflect on Ai Weiwei’s lifelong career.
The exhibition will be open to the public this September 23 up until January 22.
