Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei has been making political art inspired by the European refugee crisis for some time now.
He set up a studio on the Greek island of Lesbos, the main gateway for hundreds of thousands refugees seeking asylum in Europe, regularly documenting their dangerous journeys on his Instagram. In February, Ai made a bold statement when he draped Berlin’s concert hall with 14,000 refugee life jackets.
Now, Ai is set to have his first exhibition in Greece, where he will donate 10% all takings to refugees across the country.
Ai’s show, which will run from May to October at The Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens, will feature a number of new works, including a new marble sculpture inspired by the archeological collection in the museum.
More recently, the Chinese artist made headlines after filming a Syrian refugee playing a piano in the middle of a refugee camp on the Greek-Macedonian border. Tens of thousands of refugees still remain stranded at the border, as routes to Western Europe are increasingly closed off.
Last week, the European Union signed a controversial deal with Turkey to stem the flow of refugees. For every refugee deported back to Turkey, the EU will take a Syrian refugee from Turkey.