Ai Weiwei designs the Tibetan tiger carpet for animal conservation defense

Tibetan tiger rug from ai Weiwei

Ai Weiwei It has always sparked interest in the relationship between humans and animals. These organisms usurp the time that Weiwei could have invested in fairly mundane tasks and lead him to invest his efforts in detailed research that tap into his passion for documentation and represent his ever-growing business. In one of his moments, a Tibetan numerator The theme of tigers came up, and Weiwei has since stuck to the idea of ​​embodying them in real life one day. On that day I finally came. with ‘Tiger,’ Weiwei spins and weaves his Tibetan- and tiger-inspired vision into a hand-knotted, hand-woven and hand-dyed natural Ghazni wool rug.

Tyger (2022) by Ai Weiwei forms part of Exhibition Tomorrow’s Tigers in Sotheby’s London, a featured project from the World Wildlife Fund Art for Your World in 2022. It aims to raise funds for tiger conservation and awareness in conjunction with this year’s lunar year of the tiger, and a culmination of the global commitment to double the number. of wild tigers by the end of 2022. Curated by Artwise and produced by Christopher Farr, Weiwei and other invited artists, including Anish KapoorThey were asked to design a rug in response to tiger conservation. When Weiwei received an invitation from the WWF to design a tiger rug for the project, he didn’t think twice and took the opportunity to express his calling, which is dear to him.

Images courtesy of Art For Your World | photo Thierry Bal

Ai Weiwei contemplates tiger simplicity design

Ai Weiwei took his time to think about the design that would go into its simplicity. He may have revisited his tales in the past, scrolling through the digital and physical pages as he made notes and activism or re-reading philosophical and scientific findings on the essence of tigers and data on population decline. The time passing by with him hiding in his private space was over, and Weiwei opened his doors to his viewers for the outcome he had invested his time in. beauty “Tiger”The traditional colors of orange for the body, white for the claws and details, and black for the animal print are evident in the Weiwei design.

Instead of letting the tiger cushion run through the forest or among the bamboo plantations, Weiwei flattens his tiger on the carpet. It stretches the animal in a counterclockwise manner, seemingly masking what the tiger is going through from behind where only viewers can see what is happening in the front. Its head rests on the upper part of the canvas while its tail is scattered over the lower part. The appearance of the tiger resembles the face of a dragon, it is often depicted in celebration of the Chinese New Year. Since the event overlaps with this year’s lunar year of the tiger, the artist may have drawn some of his influences from this delightful well. There is a space in the center of the beige carpet to form an X-shape, perhaps an urgent call for viewers to take action and somewhat alert to what might happen if tiger conservation becomes unresponsive.

Ai Weiwei Tiger Rug
Ai Weiwei has always been fascinated by the relationship between humans and animals

It is rare to find tolerance and understanding

Ai Weiwei believes that human civilization can only be measured by looking at how humans are treated and form bonds with other living things, including animals. As written on Art for your world pageWeiwei notes that this concept looms above people’s tolerance and understanding toward other species and the well-being of all forms of life. The way people interact with living things may indicate the depth of their respect for themselves and how much they value what life and earth have given them.

In fact, this kind of tolerance and understanding is very rare and hard to find. By designing the rug, I hope to be able to do something for the tigers; The meaning of their existence is beyond our understanding, yet 95% of tigers in the wild have become extinct over the past 100 years, which is very sad,” Ai Weiwei says in quotes In art for your world.

Weiwei reminds viewers that protecting endangered animals is a form of self-love, Without which we would all live in a savage land. Alongside him will be the artists who will present the bespoke carpets Francesco Clemente, Peter Doig, Bernard Friese, Gary Hume, Rina Saini Calat, Maya Lin, Harland Miller, Raghib Shaw, Kiki Smith and Rose Willie. The rugs will be on display this fall at Sotheby’s, London from November 24-29 and will be available for purchase online.

Ai Weiwei Tiger Rug
Tiger (2022) directed by Ai Weiwei forms part of the exhibition ‘Tigers of Tomorrow’

Ai Weiwei Tiger Rug
The exhibition aims to raise funds and raise awareness for tiger conservation

Ai Weiwei Tiger Rug
The project aims to commit to doubling the number of wild tigers by the end of 2022

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