Scene and Heard: Randi Fisher
Photo Credit: Drew Altizer Photography
Photo Credit: Drew Altizer Photography
Photo Credit: Drew Altizer Photography
Photo Credit: Drew Altizer Photography
Photo Credit: Drew Altizer Photography
Photo Credit: Drew Altizer Photography
Photo Credit: Drew Altizer Photography
Photo Credit: Drew Altizer Photography
“This concept and project is provocative on so many levels. I admire art that makes you think and that has an emotional charge,” said Randi Fisher on Friday, September 26, at the preview party for @Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz, held on the wind-swept island off the coast of San Francisco. Fisher, with her husband Bob and other members of her family, was one of the major benefactors of the captivating new show.
The exhibition, organized by the FOR-SITE Foundation in partnership with the National Park Service and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, opened with a celebration that also included Sako and Bill Fisher, and Rose Fisher, as well as Cheryl Haines—the art dealer who first dreamed up this daring collaboration with Chinese artist Ai Weiwei who is under house arrest—all of whom boarded ferries at Pier 33 to view the site-specific installations.
Featuring seven new sculptures, sound, and mixed- media works by Weiwei, @Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz explores human rights and freedom of expression in the context of this iconic historic site. Installed across four locations on Alcatraz and on view through April 26, 2015, the exhibition is inspired by the island’s layered history as a 19th century military fortress, notorious federal penitentiary, significant site of Native American history, and now one of America’s most visited national parks. Ai’s artworks in @Large raise urgent questions about the social implications of incarceration and the definitions of liberty, justice, individual rights, and personal responsibility as interpreted through the lens of the artist’s personal experiences.
In spring 2011, Ai was detained by the Chinese government for 81 days on charges of tax evasion. Upon release, he was prohibited from leaving Beijing for one year, and he is still forbidden to travel outside of China. Because Weiwei could not visit Alcatraz, he developed the works in his Beijing studio with support from the presenting partners, Bay Area volunteers, and Amnesty International, which provided research material. The exhibitions are being held in areas not generally open to the public, but all are included as part of general Alcatraz admission tickets throughout the run of the fresh new exhibition.
By Diane Dorrans Saeks
Pictured: Randi Fisher
Photo By: Drew Altizer Photography
