Trace

The artist placed the installation “Trace” on the floor of the famous prison of Alcatraz. Portraits of 176 people, who were persecuted by the state at different times, are made of the details of Lego. Among the portraits, there are such famous personalities as Nelson Mandela, Edward Snowden and Weiwei’s compatriot, Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo. Many of them were in exile or prison at the time of the creation of the work. With his hands, the artist created only a few portraits; about 80 volunteers helped him create other portraits directly in the USA. Ai Weiwei himself was not able to come to the opening of the composition since by the decision of the Chinese state he became “restricted to travel abroad”.