Button Up! You're in for quite a ride
The Ai Weiwei blockbuster show opens at Factory International's Aviva Studios in Manchester
There’s an audible gasp as we enter Ai Weiwei’s exhibition, as the sheer scale of it transforms us, Alice-style, into tiny versions of ourselves. Yes it’s huge - but many of us have been inside this space before at Aviva Studio’s other summer blockbuster shows. Three years ago, it was Yayoi Kusama’s enormous spotted creations that towered over us. This time though, rather than overwhelming us with colour, it is like a greyscale filter has been placed over our eyes.
Button Up! is not just the title of the show but also feels like a warning - a play on the phrase ‘buckle up’. There’s a lot to unpack and introspection to face in this exploration of the legacies of British imperialism, Chinese and British relations and the rise of globalisation.
