ART ANALYSIS
AL WEIWEI has produced several largescale artworks during his years of artistry.
Displayed in 2017 at the National Gallery in Prague, Law of the Journey is a large-scale artwork produced by this artist. The main subject of the artwork is refugees and depicts several cramped refugees suspended in a boat.
It can be assumed from the piece that Weiwei is attempting to display the uncontrollable destruction and carnage that happens to refugees, during, before and after their journey.
To communicate this message and draw attention to the difficulties faced by refugees, Weiwei effectively employs numerous elements of art, including form, colour, shade and space.
The first major element of art displayed in the installation is form.
The artist uses form to communicate the message of the piece as the form displays the identities of the figures and helps the viewer focus on the message.
Firstly, the form on the figures displayed helps to show how having a refugee status is not limited to a particular age.
Having smaller figures in the centre indicates that refugees are often children and families.
Additionally, the shape of the boat creates a message of abuse. Due to the boat being so small for the number of the refugees on the boat, this creates a feeling of discomfort and a lack of control.
An additional element of art that helps to communicate the message of refugee abuse is colour. The artist’s use of minimal colour and tone helps the viewer to better understand the idea presented.
The artist only uses one metallic shade of black (made from the same rubber used in inflatable boats) which creates a sense of darkness.
According to Incredible Art Department (2020), dark colours represent fear and detachment, which closely aligns with the message of refugee abuse.
The final major element of art that is effectively used in Law of the Journey is space. Weiwei has suspended the artwork in the display to further clarify the message.
By creating a divide, there is a sense of a lack of understanding from the people below (the viewers) and the rubber people in the artwork.
This reaffirms the message of ignorance of refugee rights and experiences.
Ai Weiwei’s installation Law of the Journey successfully displays a message of refugee abuse and misunderstanding.
He effectively uses elements of art including form, colour and space to reaffirm this important message.
MARIA DANIEL, SOUTHERN CROSS CATHOLIC COLLEGE, YEAR 10