Ai Weiwei examines the extent of warfare in explosive artistic endeavors
The London Imperial War Museum reopens its doors this weekend, revealing a facelift at the same time. On the walls and floors of the museum's atrium are endless pictures of bombs, which are reproduced true to scale and in detail. Ai Weiwei was commissioned to create the artwork entitled "History of the Bombs", which covers the surfaces of the museum. This is the first time that an artist has been given the opportunity to overtake the space itself.
For the occasional viewer, history books and documentaries often fail to convey the scale and destructive capabilities of weapons and bombs used in conflict. Using true-to-scale images of the bombs that were used right next to and even under the feet of visitors in the 20th century, Ai's artwork delivers a sobering experience that translates these weapons into real terms.
All pictures: Ai Weiwei's new order, history of the bombs, part of the IWM refugee season © IWM
With the bombs under their feet and the planes that appear just above them, visitors are surrounded by industrial war relics more intensely than ever.
The commission coincides with the museum's refugee season. Ai Weiwei, himself a former refugee, has devoted much of his practice to investigating the refugee crisis in recent years, be it through film, as shown in his Oscar-nominated documentary Human Flow, or through art installations such as his work by Berlin used in 2016 no less than 14,000 life jackets.
The history of the bombs is on display at the Imperial War Museum from August 2 to May 24, 2021. iwm.org.uk.